herb
EGCG
Primary catechin. Supports thermogenesis, antioxidant defense, and cognition.
What it’s good for
EGCG for High Cholesterol
Strong2 studies · 2 supporting · 0 against
8 safety notes
Thought to block some cholesterol from being absorbed, and help your liver clear more of it.
Dose: 107–856 mg
Tested as: green tea extract standardized to EGCG, 107-856 mg EGCG/day for 4-14 weeks, taken as a concentrated supplement (not brewed tea)
2 studies · 2 supporting · 0 against
8 safety notes
Proposed to help the lining of your blood vessels relax, lowering pressure modestly.
Tested as: green tea catechin extracts/supplements as used across pooled RCTs (typically higher-dose extract forms rather than brewed tea alone)
EGCG for Weight & Body Composition
Mixed3 studies · 2 supporting · 1 against
8 safety notes
Proposed to raise how much energy you burn — an effect that seems to need caffeine present too.
Dose: 400–857 mg
Tested as: green tea extract standardized to EGCG, 400-857 mg EGCG/day for 12 weeks to 1 year; the positive pooled effect in meta-analysis depended on catechins being combined with caffeine
EGCG for Slow Recovery
Evidence1 study · 1 supporting · 0 against
8 safety notes
Its antioxidants are proposed to blunt the oxidative damage a hard session causes.
Dose: 500 mg
Tested as: green tea extract 500 mg/day for 15 days around an exercise-damage protocol
5 studies · 0 supporting · 4 against
8 safety notes
How it was tested: No significant effect of green tea catechin supplementation on plasma CRP (WMD 0.085 mg/L, 95% CI -0.225 to 0.395).
Its catechins are meant to block the pathways that drive inflammatory signalling.
Dose: 400–800 mg
EGCG for Chronic Fatigue
Not verified1 study · 0 supporting · 0 against
8 safety notes
Why it gets suggested: Meant to raise heat production and prompt cells to build more energy machinery.
Dose: 400–800 mg
Why we could not verify it: Searched PubMed, PMC, and Cochrane for any human trial of green tea extract or EGCG for chronic fatigue or ME/CFS. The published literature contains animal studies (mouse forced-swim fatigue models; selenium-polysaccharide CFS rat models) but no human RCTs targeting chronic fatigue as the primary outcome. One EGCG RCT in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (25733633) measured muscle metabolism during exercise but was designed for MS, not CFS, and fatigue was not a primary endpoint. MEpedia and the Phoenix Rising patient forum confirm no established trial record for green tea extract in ME/CFS. The anti-fatigue PMC article (PMC5421434) is an animal study, not a human trial. Nothing in the