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If you've read the Green Tea and Health section of our web site, you know that green tea contains antioxidants known as catechins. There is one tea that contains a special catechin (methyl catechin) which has become renowned for its ability to fight the symptoms of hay fever. We are happy to announce that we now carry Benifuki tea, a powdered tea with this powerful catechin.
Benifuki is a species of tea that was invented at the National Institute of Vegetable and Tea Science (NIVTS) in 1993. It was originally developed for manufacturing black tea. The NIVTS conducted a study of teas from 1996 to 2000 to find if tea can help ease the symptoms of allergies.
They also found that if Benifuki was processed into green tea, then it was rich in methylated catechins. This ingredient was effective at suppressing histamine, the cause of itchy eyes and a runny nose.
As mentioned, Benifuki was originally developed for black tea, but methyl catechin is generated in this species of tea only when it is processed into green tea. Also, our Benifuki is made using a pan parching method instead of the regular steaming process.
This reduces the bitterness of the tea considerably. Further we made it into a powdered tea so that the ingredients are easily absorbed into human body. (Since you are consuming the leaf, we selected only chemical-free leaves.) Consuming it as a powder means you can enjoy the methyl catechins and all the other good ingredients instantly.
Hay fever can ruin the wonderful season of spring for so many of our customers. We have been interested in introducing benifuki to North America because of all the wonderful comments from our customers in Japan who suffer from hay fever. We hope you give it a try and enjoy being outdoors during the warmer months this year.
Preparation is easy. Pour one 0.4 gram bag into a 5oz of hot or cold water and mix well. Since it is individually packed, you can take it anywhere.