A study in Cancer Prevention Research suggests that while some doctors have been reluctant to endorse the herbal supplement as a cancer preventer, more evidence is mounting to back up that notion.

Researchers distributed green tea extracts to 41 patients with oral pre-malignant lesions for three months of three doses a day. It was found that 58.8 percent of patients had a clinical response to the pre-malignant lesions, while only 18.2 percent of the group with the placebo did.

After following the patients for 27.5 months, 15 developed oral cancer. While it was no difference in cancer development between those who took green tea and those who took placebos, the cancer took longer to develop with those who used green tea.

The researchers noted that because it was a natural supplement, there were almost no side effects.

“The lack of toxicity is also important because often when you give supplements at higher doses than what would occur naturally, you induce nausea and vomiting. That did not happen in this trial,” explained Dr. Dong Shin.

Other research has been done on animals to support the notion that green tea can be used as a natural supplement to prevent cancer.