Epigallocatechin Gallate

Epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG is a polyphenols compound found in green tea.

Uses

Genital warts. A specific green tea extract ointment is approved for treating genital warts.
High cholesterol. Taking green tea by mouth seems to lower cholesterol levels.
Mental alertness. Drinking green tea and other caffeinated beverages seems to help people maintain mental alertness throughout the day. Combining caffeine with sugar as an “energy drink” seems to improve mental performance more than caffeine or sugar alone.
In Chinese medicine, EGCG is used to manage hormone levels with treatment for benign prostate hyperplasia to acne.

Androgenic ActionEGCG activity inside your body can inhibit dihydrotestosterone. DHT plays a role in testosterone activity in the body. As you age, your testosterone production and activity decrease, but DHT, a byproduct of testosterone, levels and action increase with age. DHT activity has been associated with balding, increased prostate gland size and for women the development of male sex characteristics.
Cancer ProtectionEGCG may work to prevent cancer at the cellular level. According to Julius Goepp, M.D. with Life Extension Magazine, EGCG works to prevent cancer by intervening with cellular action and growth. High green tea consumption with Asian cultures could be the “paradox” reasoning for Asians to have low cancer rates, despite certain behaviors, such as smoking is common, but they have lower heart disease and cancer rates than Americans who smoke.
Alter Body Fat LevelsConsumption of green tea and EGCG can reduce total body weight and body fat levels. Dr. Goepps states EGCG increases your body’s metabolism and the ability to burn fat.

Too much oolong tea, more than five cups per day, can cause side effects because of the caffeine. These side effects can range from mild to serious and include headache, nervousness, sleep problems, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, irregular heartbeat, tremor, heartburn, dizziness, ringing in the ears, convulsions, and confusion.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, oolong tea in small amounts is probably not harmful. However, do not drink more than 2 cups a day of oolong tea. That amount of tea contains about 200 mg of caffeine. Too much caffeine during pregnancy might cause premature delivery, low birth weight, and harm to the baby. Too much caffeine during breast-feeding might cause irritability and increase bowel movements in nursing infants.