“Laboratory tests found that regular cups of green and black tea inhibit the activity of certain enzymes in the brain which bring on Alzheimer’s, a form of generative dementia that affects an estimated 10 million people worldwide.” (Yahoo! News) Essentially, tea is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, acting in the same way as (albeit more weakly than) the anti-Alzheimer’s prescription drugs donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon) and galantamine (Reminyl). It is abit inaccurate to say that the enzyme they inhibit, acetylcholinesterase (ACh-ase), brings on Alzheimer’s disease. It degrades the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain, and Alzheimer’s is characterized by a drop in brain acetylcholine, but this is not thought to be due to abnormal activity of the enzyme. Nevertheless, inhibiting ACh-ase can compensate for some of the effects of the illness.