Green Tea extract is known to be 200 times more effective at scavenging free radicals than vitamin E. The active components that make this so are the polyphenol catechins. In fact, green tea has been hailed as the most effective antioxidant in terms of reducing antibacterial and antiviral activity, anti-platelet and hypo-cholesterolemic activity, risk of smoking-induced lung cancer, radiation-induced skin damage and cancer, and age related maladies.