Contents
Saponin is a type of glycosides that is slightly contained in tea.
It has effects such as antibacterial, fever reduction and antiasthmatic
In this page, we are going to introduce the basic information, taste and effects of saponin.
What is saponin?
Saponin is a type of glycosides that is slightly contained in tea.
It is named after “Shabon” that means bubbles, which comes from foam that looks like tiny bubbles on top of whisked Matcha.
Does saponin taste very bitter?
Saponin is an ingredient with its unique bitterness, astringency and egumi(harsh bitterness) taste.
However, as mentioned before, since saponin is only contained a small amount in tea, it does not make tea taste significantly bitter.
Is saponin found in animals?
Saponin is a compound mainly found in plants. For instance, it is contained in bellflower, licorice and date fruit.
However, it does not mean that saponin is only found in plants. Animals such as sea cucumber and starfish also have saponin.
Effects of saponin
Saponin has effects listed below;
- Antiasthmatic
- Antibacterial, Antivirus
- Inflammation relief, Fever reduction
- Sedation
- Cholesterol reduction and
- Antiobesity
*References: Glossary of Pharmaceutical Terms (The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan), Survey of Functional Components and Utilization (National Agriculture and Food Research Organization), "All You Need to Know about Japanese Tea" (Nobunkyo)
It is said that one of these listed effects of saponin that is Antibacterial/Antivirus especially fights off the flu virus.
Therefore, gargling with tea in addition to taking medicine would be helpful when not feeling well.