Green Tea: Your thoughts?

[bobhenstra]

People have died after consuming green peas, same with green tea!

[BroJones]

If caffeine was the only reason tea and coffee are banned per the WoW, then we should be able to drink decaffeinated coffee with no problem, but it is still banned. \\\.

I have heard that decaf coffee is OK, per the Church, but I don't have a reference for that. IIRC, this was important to my mother-in-law, a convert to the church.

Does anyone have a definitive statement? (NOT that I'm interested in decaf-coffee!)

Here is a letter from the First Presidency found on the net stating that Sanka (de-caf) coffee is OK:

August 28, 1968
President J----
W---- Stake
XXXX M---- Dr
W---- XX 00000

Dear President J----:
Enclosed herewith is a copy of a postal card from Brother D---- inquiring about the use of Sanka coffee. Instead of answering Brother Davis' card direct, we are sending the answer to you that you may give him the correct information on the subject.

The terms and specifications as found in the Word of Wisdom, Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants, remain as stated in that section. There has been no other official interpretation of that Word of Wisdom except that which was given by the Brethren in the very early days of the Church when it was declared that "hot drinks" meant tea and coffee.

The Church has not officially taken any other attitude on this matter. Leaders of the Church have advised against the use of any beverage containing harmful, habit-forming drugs or ingredients under the circumstances that would result in the acquiring of the habit.

The use of a beverage from which the deleterious ingredients have been removed would not be considered as breaking the Word of Wisdom. This would include Sanka coffee.

Sincerely yours,

/s/ D. O. McKay, H. B. Brown, N. E. Tanner
The First Presidency

Please note, Stella, that Sanka (de-caf) coffee is not "banned".

Would de-caf green tea be OK also?

[britjas]

Interesting thought Dr. My Mom used to think that caffeine-free diet coke was choosing the lesser of two evils and didn't even allow caffeine free diet coke to be drunk in her home. She even made me pour it out! This was after my mission to the Colorado-Denver mission over twenty years ago. She was even convinced that the Gila Valley would never get a temple until the members stopped drinking their cola drinks. Now that the Gila Valley has a temple, I wonder if the Saints there have abstained from their Pepsi and Mountain Dew?

[Dr. Mindbender]

I served in South Korea in the 90s. At the time, all the members and missionaries drank green tea. However, sometime in the late 90s, the Area Presidency informed all of the members that green tea was indeed against the Word of Wisdom.

Along the same vein, the Area President specifically told us in a zone meeting that caffeinated soft drinks were a personal choice.

Just fyi based on my personal experience.

[EmmaLee]

The use of a beverage from which the deleterious ingredients have been removed would not be considered as breaking the Word of Wisdom. This would include Sanka coffee.

Please note, Stella, that Sanka (de-caf) coffee is not "banned".

Would de-caf green tea be OK also?

So nice to have my erroneous belief corrected - especially in big, bold print. They should really make a footnote (or 20) to the WoW, shouldn't they? I wonder what the deleterious ingredients (plural) were? Any information on that? Is Sanka brand any different than any other brand of decaff coffee?

Just so you know, I could care less about any of this for myself personally. I drink water - plain ol' filtered water - that's it. I just don't believe for one second caffeine is the ONLY deleterious ingredient in coffee/tea.

[laronius]

The use of a beverage from which the deleterious ingredients have been removed would not be considered as breaking the Word of Wisdom. This would include Sanka coffee.

Please note, Stella, that Sanka (de-caf) coffee is not "banned".

Would de-caf green tea be OK also?

So nice to have my erroneous belief corrected - especially in big, bold print. They should really make a footnote (or 20) to the WoW, shouldn't they? I wonder what the deleterious ingredients (plural) were? Any information on that? Is Sanka brand any different than any other brand of decaff coffee?

Just so you know, I could care less about any of this for myself personally. I drink water - plain ol' filtered water - that's it. I just don't believe for one second caffeine is the ONLY deleterious ingredient in coffee/tea.

A couple issues I have with this statement thought to have been put out by the Church. 1. I find it hard to believe the church would specifically sanction a certain brand of beverage as acceptable. 2. As you state, caffeine is not the deleterious ingredient in these beverages. 3. If caffeine was the main issue, I would have thought they would say more about other caffeinated beverages. Just a couple things that make me raise my eyebrow. But I too haven't found anything official to state either way so it must be another thing left up to us to decide what is best. :-\

[JohnnyL]

If caffeine was the only reason tea and coffee are banned per the WoW, then we should be able to drink decaffeinated coffee with no problem, but it is still banned. \\\.

I have heard that decaf coffee is OK, per the Church, but I don't have a reference for that. IIRC, this was important to my mother-in-law, a convert to the church.
Does anyone have a definitive statement? (NOT that I'm interested in decaf-coffee!)

"The use of a beverage from which the deleterious ingredients have been removed would not be considered as breaking the Word of Wisdom. This would include Sanka coffee."

And there's the crux--excuse my assumption--they were assuming that caffeine is the ONLY "deleterious ingredient". Whoops! Guess what?
Which gets back to my previous post.

As has been mentioned, the Japanese have known green tea isn't right; the Taiwanese, too, for years and years. It's very simple: tea plant = WoW tea.

BTW, a 52oz Dr. Pepper isn't a very good choice, either.

[gruden2.0]

It's interesting how people get worked up about tea & caffeine, yet continue to dump far worse substances into their bodies without a single thought.

A while ago I posted an article showing how soda (high fructose corn syrup in particular) has the same effect on the body - particularly the liver - as beer (minus the buzz, of course). Doesn't seemed to have registered. HFCS wasn't made for the body - it is an industrial sweetener that taxes the body and contributes to obesity. But who cares - it doesn't stop me from getting a temple recommend so why not?

I managed to kill a thread a while ago posting an experience I once had a few years ago when I was drinking a Pepsi and the Spirit whispered to me that this drink damages ones spirituality. I asked & prayed if it was the whole drink or an ingredient. The answer I eventually got was... HFCS.

And then there's the artificial sweeteners. Despite reams of (largely suppressed and marginalized) research showing how damaging it is to the body, people keep drinking their Diet Cokes. But life is meant to be enjoyed, even if it has a strange chemical aftertaste. We're drowning in our addictions.

The very beginning of the WoW speaks of the evil designs of conspiring men in the last days. What are they conspiring? Look around at all this junk that passes for food. If anything supports the need for continuing revelation, it is what we should eat and what to avoid. What Adam & Eve ate in the garden is no longer good enough, so we need to be reminded by more rules what we should be doing.

Nevertheless, the WoW is a key for the true seekers of knowledge. For those seeking to go further, this is one key to unlocking more mysteries of the Spirit, which is why it is not given by constraint. Those who wish to find new avenues of growth will give up their Cokes and Pepsis, while those who won't... can have what they're willing to have. There is a mind-body-spirit connection. If you damage your body, it inhibits your spirit's ability to act upon it. It is a choice for each.

Interestingly, I read a while ago how, while in Carthage jail, Joseph sent for some wine to lift their depressed spirits. The man who received the WoW having a little wine for comfort. Maybe this is food for thought as to what these things mean to us. Heck, even the sacrament allows for real wine.

[Rose Garden]

Strong drinks, not alcohol, is what we are advised against in the Word of Wisdom. Wine traditionally had very little alcohol, as did beer, and so they were totally acceptable according to the Word of Wisdom. However, rumor has it that in our day, the stuff at the grocery store has been made purposely to be addictive. I believe wine and beer were actually good for you traditionally, but I wouldn't trust today's alcoholic beverages. Hence the reason it was okay for Jesus to drink wine but isn't okay for us to do it now.

[JohnnyL]

gruden 2.0,

check out Pres. Packer's talk on the WoW. You'll enjoy!

[Ribble]

gruden 2.0,

I enjoyed your take. I find it amusing that members get so worked up over substances like green tea, yet have no problem with far more dangerous ingredients that many are consuming on a daily basis. Not to mention the toxic pharmaceuticals that are becoming a way of life.

You can't drink green tea, but as long as you have an RX you can indulge in amphetamines, opiates, etc., to your hearts content. Where's the logic in this?

[mingano]

If not for been human civilization would not have been possible. Beer provided drink that would not kill you (the fermentation process helps purify the water) and encouraged farming and settlements. A wonderful book is A History Of the World In Six Glasses and studies how beverages shaped the course of human history.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. Beer was first made in the Fertile Crescent and by 3000 B.C.E. was so important to Mesopotamia and Egypt that it was used to pay wages. In ancient Greece wine became the main export of her vast seaborne trade, helping spread Greek culture abroad. Spirits such as brandy and rum fueled the Age of Exploration, fortifying seamen on long voyages and oiling the pernicious slave trade. Although coffee originated in the Arab world, it stoked revolutionary thought in Europe during the Age of Reason, when coffeehouses became centers of intellectual exchange. And hundreds of years after the Chinese began drinking tea, it became especially popular in Britain, with far-reaching effects on British foreign policy. Finally, though carbonated drinks were invented in 18th-century Europe they became a 20th-century phenomenon, and Coca-Cola in particular is the leading symbol of globalization.

[JohnnyL]

If not for been human civilization would not have been possible. Beer provided drink that would not kill you (the fermentation process helps purify the water) and encouraged farming and settlements. A wonderful book is A History Of the World In Six Glasses and studies how beverages shaped the course of human history.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. Beer was first made in the Fertile Crescent and by 3000 B.C.E. was so important to Mesopotamia and Egypt that it was used to pay wages. In ancient Greece wine became the main export of her vast seaborne trade, helping spread Greek culture abroad. Spirits such as brandy and rum fueled the Age of Exploration, fortifying seamen on long voyages and oiling the pernicious slave trade. Although coffee originated in the Arab world, it stoked revolutionary thought in Europe during the Age of Reason, when coffeehouses became centers of intellectual exchange. And hundreds of years after the Chinese began drinking tea, it became especially popular in Britain, with far-reaching effects on British foreign policy. Finally, though carbonated drinks were invented in 18th-century Europe they became a 20th-century phenomenon, and Coca-Cola in particular is the leading symbol of globalization.

No, not human civilization---just human civilization as we know it. Big difference. And much worse because of those things, than not.

[Redfeather]

I have been a member most of my life. Green Tea-cold-decaf, if drank for medical reasons is not against the Word Of Wisdom. Ask you Bishop or Stake Presidency. Have you ever drank a soda? Picked up a bottle of Nyquil? Soda has caffeine. Nyquil has alcohol. End of discussion. Judge not lease Ye will be judged.

[buffalo_girl]

I have been a member most of my life. Green Tea-cold-decaf, if drank for medical reasons is not against the Word Of Wisdom. Ask you Bishop or Stake Presidency. Have you ever drank a soda? Picked up a bottle of Nyquil? Soda has caffeine. Nyquil has alcohol. End of discussion. Judge not lease Ye will be judged.

Hello, Redfeather!

No one needs to judge another person for any reason, but it is important to understand that there can be serious health risks for any of the 'products' you have listed.

Since I stopped drinking regular (not diet) sodas (maybe 3-4 cans a week) two years ago, my blood pressure has decreased from very high to normal, and I have had no more tooth decay problems. My blood pressure was such that a cardiologist prescribed medication I would have been required to take the rest of my life! I decided I would rather take matters to the Lord and see what I could do to bring it down rather than to rely on expensive prescription drugs the rest of my life.

Nyquil has acetaminophen besides alcohol which may be even more troublesome than just having a shot of brandy when you have a cold. The combination of acetaminophen & alcohol can cause increased blood pressure, liver & kidney damage.

http://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/gast ... ophen.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Green tea - even without caffeine - has high levels of flouride and tannin - both toxic when used frequently.

[caddis]

Caffeine In anything seems to become an addiction issue.

Although green tea appears to have some health benefits along with the caffeine amp, I am also concerned about the fluoride content of it. From what I've read, fluoride is NOT healthy.

Look into the use of Yerba Mate as a mild stimulant with real health benefits...

http://www.yerbamateassociation.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Modern science is shedding light on the many benefits of yerba mate, including its: robust nutrition profile; high level of antioxidants; balanced and sustained stimulation; boost to the immune system; ability to enhance mental clarity; effect in relieving allergy symptoms; role in weight management and elimination; and its relationship to help control or limit other common modern ailments including diabetes, poor circulation, cholesterol and halitosis.

Studies of Antioxidant Properties of Yerba Mate Yerba mate has significant antioxidant activity. In 2005, researchers at the University of Illinois at Champaign –Urbana analyzed 25 different kinds of yerba mate and found that mate contained higher levels of antioxidants than green tea and, and based on cellular studies, reported that there was a correlation between yerba mate’s polyphenol content, antioxidant capacity and human topoisomerase inhibition that may help prevent oral cancer.

Prior to this most recent research, researchers in 1995 published a study in Biochemical and Molecular Biology International in which they concluded that water extracts of yerba mate “were more potent antioxidants than either ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or butylated hydroxytoluene.” A few years later, a group of researchers embarked on a study to again investigate the antioxidant properties of Ilex paraguariensis infusions. Those findings were published in March of 2000 in the Journal Biochemical and Biophysica Research Communications. Their results suggest “that ingestion of extracts of Ilex paraguariensis could contribute to an increase in the antioxidant defense of an organism against free radicals attack.” In a more recent study, published in the November 2001 issue of Fitoterapia, researchers took a look at seven different plant species in South America. They found that yerba mate “contained a higher content of flavonoids and caffeoyl derivatives than any other assayed species.”

Sustains Energy
Yerba mate is a central nervous system stimulant that provides a unique sustaining energy due to its complex combination of xanthine alkaloids including caffeine, theophylline (also found in green tea) and theobromine (the “euphoriant” also found in chocolate), as well as pantothenic acid - which prevents over-stimulation of the central nervous system. Yerba mate is also a rich source of magnesium, which has been proven to ease anxiety without over-stimulating.

+1 for Yerba Mate.

[caddis]

It's really about the tanic acids in tea and coffee. I'm not sure if that's included in green tea. Herbal teas are OK... so we just have to find out if green tea is considered an herbal tea.

I hear this a lot. Source?

[rewcox]

At LDSFF, beer, coffee, wine, tea are fashionable.

Polygamy is still under discussion...

[FSM]

Green tea is a violation of the word of wisdom. I think......well maybe not but I'm staying away from the stuff. It drives the spirit away. BYW if anyone sees the spirit can you tell it we need to talk. It knows where to find me.

[OCDMOM]

All I know is it tastes like hay.

[uglypitbull]

To me this is all semantics.... if you want to know the reason for the Word of Wisdom, read D&C 89:4. Its very telling.....

Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—

[/b]

[kidsmoke]

Christ cares about this?

[JohnnyL]

It's against the WoW. Absolutely. So are other real teas.

[Matchmaker]

I know that black tea is against the WOW. Its leaves come from the camillia sinenses shrub. Green tea leaves also come from the same camillia sinenses shrub and will become black tea leaves if they are processed and oxidized a little bit longer. Green tea is black tea that has not been oxidized as long, but it is still tea.

[Desert Roses]

Here is a letter from the First Presidency found on the net stating that Sanka (de-caf) coffee is OK:

The Church has not officially taken any other attitude on this matter. Leaders of the Church have advised against the use of any beverage containing harmful, habit-forming drugs or ingredients under the circumstances that would result in the acquiring of the habit.

This is how I was taught the principles...so to me, sodas, teas, etc. are out because I've experienced and seen people when they withdraw from caffeine and other substances in coffee/tea. I agree green tea has less of these than soda (by far!) but anything that becomes habit-forming can be a problem for health overall.

As far as MS, my readings have indicated that going to a plant-based, whole food diet (as outlined in the OTHER verses of the WoW) have been successful in overcoming the symptoms of this disease. In particular, I'd look at the video, "Forks over Knives" and read Dr. John McDougall's book, The Starch Solution, as well as Jane Birch's book (an LDS author) Discovering the Word of Wisdom.