Are your mice tense and anxious? If so, tiny cups of matcha may help them chill out.
But seriously folks, the research described in this article, which was conducted at Kumamoto University, indicates that matcha may help mammals like us, as well as our smaller friends. :)
I do have a question about the conclusions of the researchers, however:
“In addition, they found that matcha extracts had a stronger calming effect when derived using 80 percent ethanol rather than only hot water. These findings suggest that a poorly water-soluble matcha component has stronger anxiety-reducing effects than components that are easily soluble in water.”
The article seems to be referring to ethanol as a solvent but, according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, ethanol “is also the intoxicating ingredient of many alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits.”
https://www.britannica.com/science/ethanol
Well, of course your mice are going be more relaxed after having a few matcha cocktails than after just having some boring matcha water! By the way, matcha cocktails are a real thing:
https://www.nightclub.com/food-drink/5-cocktails-have-met-their-matcha
I haven’t tried any of them yet but I suppose they are probably quite effective for reducing anxiety. Cheers! ;)
– Kirk
P.S. I’m just kidding about the mice being intoxicated. I’m sure the researchers were careful not to use ethanol in a way that would contaminate their results. Still, when I saw the word “ethanol” I wondered about that point.
https://www.asianscientist.com/2019/08/in-the-lab/matcha-tea-reduces-anxiety/
