Green Tea
Green tea extract from Camellia sinensis, in capsules, tablets and powder. Find standardised extracts with a stated EGCG content, decaffeinated options, and our guidance on strength, caffeine and daily use.Read more →
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Green tea extract, EGCG and the differences between the forms
Green tea comes from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, the same plant behind black, white and oolong tea. The difference is the processing. Green tea leaves are dried without fermentation, so more of the plant's catechins stay intact. Catechins are a group of plant compounds, and the one you will see named on labels is EGCG, short for epigallocatechin gallate.
A brewed cup of green tea gives you a modest amount of EGCG. Extracts concentrate it, which is why the percentage on the label matters more than the milligrams of extract. A 500 mg capsule standardised to 45% EGCG and a 500 mg capsule at 10% are not the same product, even though the front of the pack looks similar. This is the single most useful habit when comparing anything in our herbs and plants range: read the standardisation, not the headline number.
The forms differ more than the labels suggest
- Standardised capsules and tablets: a fixed EGCG amount per dose, easy to track. The practical choice if you want to know what you are taking.
- Decaffeinated extracts: catechins kept, most of the natural caffeine removed. Useful if caffeine keeps you awake.
- Powder: flexible and mixes into drinks, but small amounts are hard to weigh accurately at home.
- Matcha and whole ground leaf: less concentrated per gram, closer to drinking tea than to an extract.
- Blends: green tea combined with L-Theanine, caffeine or plant mixes. Add up the EGCG across everything you take.
What we will and will not claim
Here we are blunt. The European food safety authority (EFSA) has assessed green tea catechins for safety, and no health claim for green tea or EGCG is approved for use in the EU or UK. So you will not read promises about faster metabolism on this page, even though green tea is one of the most common ingredients in weight management products. What green tea extract genuinely offers is a concentrated, well characterised source of catechins, taken as part of a normal diet.
How we choose green tea extracts
We look at three things: the form, the dose and the combination. We only stock extracts that state their EGCG or catechin content, because "500 mg green tea" on its own tells you almost nothing. We keep decaffeinated options for people sensitive to caffeine, and we are cautious with blends that pile green tea on top of other stimulants. Where the evidence is thin, we say so instead of borrowing language from a single study. We buy directly from the brands, and every product passes our compliance team before it goes live. You can read how we select.
Who it suits, and who should be careful
Green tea extract suits adults who already drink tea and want a measured, repeatable amount of catechins. It suits people who prefer a capsule to six cups a day. It is less suitable if you are sensitive to caffeine, unless you choose a decaffeinated extract.
Two honest notes. Most extracts still contain some caffeine, so late afternoon doses can affect sleep. And EU labelling rules for products with added EGCG require warnings for under 18s, for pregnancy and breastfeeding, against taking them on an empty stomach, and against combining several green tea products on the same day. We would rather you know that before you buy than after.
Frequently asked questions
Camellia sinensis is the tea plant. Its leaves are used for green, white, oolong and black tea, and the difference between them is how the leaves are treated after picking. Green tea leaves are dried without fermentation, so more of their catechins survive. That is why green tea, and extracts made from it, are the versions you usually see in supplements rather than black tea.
