Green Tea Extract

What this is. Concentrated green tea, taken for its catechins — the EGCG family. Used for metabolism and as a gentler source of caffeine.

500 mg of green tea extract per capsule. The number that matters for green tea is the EGCG content, and this panel does not state it — no percentage, no extract ratio, no milligram figure. Without that, 500 mg is a weight, not a dose.

What you are actually getting, per 1 capsule

• Vitamin C — 100 mg
• Green Tea Extract (EGCG content not stated) — 500 mg
• Grape Seed (ratio and OPC content not stated) — 100 mg

Nothing on this panel is standardised, so there is no arithmetic to show you — and here that is the whole problem rather than a footnote. Green tea extracts vary enormously in strength: some are mostly polyphenols, some are a fraction of that, and EGCG is a portion of the polyphenols again. Two capsules that both say 500 mg of green tea extract can differ several-fold in EGCG. This label does not say which end of that you are buying. The grape seed has the same gap — no ratio, no OPC percentage — so its 100 mg is also a weight.

The panel states no caffeine content either. Green tea extracts can be decaffeinated or not, and this label does not tell you which, so if caffeine matters to you — in the evening, or at all — this bottle does not answer the question.

Worth knowing before you buy

Green tea research is reported in EGCG, not in milligrams of extract. Trials work in the region of a few hundred milligrams of EGCG a day, and the safety literature is written in the same unit for the same reason. Because this label gives no EGCG figure at all, there is no honest way to line this capsule up against any of that work. We can tell you what is in the bottle by weight. We cannot tell you whether it is a strong extract or a weak one, and neither can the label.

That is also why this product is not in our weight-metabolism collection. Green tea extract is bought for that reason more than any other, and a 500 mg number with nothing behind it cannot carry the comparison. If a stated EGCG content is what you are after, look for it printed on the panel — on any brand — and walk past the ones that leave it off.

How to take it

One capsule a day, with food and a glass of water. Taking it with food rather than on an empty stomach matters here — see Cautions. Thirty capsules, so one a day is 30 days.

Other ingredients

Gelatin. The capsule is gelatin, which is animal-derived, so this is not suitable for vegetarians or vegans. The panel does not state the animal source of the gelatin. It declares no allergens.

Cautions

Concentrated green tea extract has been linked to liver injury in case reports. That is why European food safety authorities reviewed it, and it is why this warning is up here rather than in the footnotes. The reports cluster around high daily EGCG intakes and around taking the extract on an empty stomach, so take this with food, and stop taking it and see a doctor if you develop abdominal pain, unusual tiredness, dark urine or any yellowing of the skin or eyes. Do not take it alongside other green tea or EGCG products — the amounts add up, and this label does not tell you what you are adding to what. Green tea also reduces the absorption of some medicines, including the beta blocker nadolol, and the caffeine content here is not stated, so treat this as a caffeinated product unless you find out otherwise. If you have liver disease or take medication that affects the liver, speak to your doctor before starting. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not use if the safety seal is damaged or missing. Store in a cool, dry place. Do not exceed the recommended dose. If you are pregnant, nursing, under 18, taking prescription medication or living with a medical condition, speak to your doctor or pharmacist before starting this or any supplement.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.