My Little Armor - Benifuki Powder

One sunny day in Seattle, which doesn't happen often, I went out for a short walk.
Warm breeze, lots of sunlight, birds chirping... it was indeed a pleasant walk.  Until....
Aaaachooo!!!

 Yes, my body started having allergic reaction.

By the time I returned home, my eyes were itchy, bloody red and swollen. I looked like a different person.
I didn't know what my body was particularly reacting to, but I knew the moment Spring has arrived.

So I took one stick of Benifuki Powder mixed in 4oz hot water.  I just lied down in sofa feeling so tired after the parade of sneezing.  Then, after a little while, all my symptoms were somewhat relieved.

It does not totally alleviate itchiness and congestion, but I can tell it always works for me.

Benifuki is another type of green tea cultivar developed by the National Institute of Vegetable and Tea Science of Japan (NIVTS) in 1993. Benifuki gained attention for its high content of O-methylated Catechin and effectiveness against allergy symptoms. It has become a very poplar item in Japan especially during the hay fever season.

If you want to go more natural other than taking synthetic drug to fight against allergies, try Benifuki Powder.

What Comes Out of Faucet in Shizuoka

“Did you know green tea comes out of faucets at school in Shizuoka?” 

Kyohei said when we were just chatting about our childhood in Japan. “Sure. Sure.” I cynically responded because I thought Kyohei was just joking.

OMG, he was NOT joking!
Look at these photos. Kids are enjoying green tea from the faucets whenever they want.

Shizuoka prefecture is worldly known as the “Green Tea Capital”; I wouldn’t be surprised if people of Shizuoka drink green tea like water, but this?! Really?
Green Tea Haven, Green Tea Mecca, Green Tea Capital… whatever it is; Shizuoka knocked my socks off!

Schools are also encouraging students to gargle with green tea. I thought this is an awesome idea and wish we could do the same in the states. The numerous studies show green tea gargling prevents cold and flu, even cavities. Kyohei, now 30’s, who grew up in Shizuoka drinking tons of green tea, never had cavities in his life. He told me even his parents and siblings rarely see a dentist.

By the way, February is National Children’s Dental Health Month.  Moms, shall we start packing a bottle of green tea in our kid’s lunch bag? :-)

If you want to read one of the recent studies of green tea effects, go to:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22123226