• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.322-328
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• 2006

Green tea is of particular source as it has been found to have strong antioxidant activities. The extracts of green tea during the commercial harvest seasons from April, 2003 to August, 2003 were compared. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between the polyphenol content of green teas and its antioxidant activities. The con-tent of total polyphenols was analyzed and several antioxidant testings were performed. The levels of total polyphenols were higher in the green teas (e.g. Woojeon, Sejak) harvested during very early spring and lower in the green teas harvested late(eg. Ipha, Yepcha). In particular, the free radical scavenging, the inhibition of LDL oxidation, the cytoprotective effect and the inhibition of DNA damage were correlated with the total polyphenol contents of green tea extracts harvested early spring such as Woojeon, Sejak and Jungjak. The results obtained here show that all extracts of green teas including purified green tea catechin, GTC, have strong antioxidant activities on oxidative stress in vifrθ. The variation in polyphenol content and antioxidant activities among various types of green tea by the harvesting time may provide critical information for investigators and consumers using tea in purposes of nutrition and chemoprevention.