Teasing out tea's many health benefits
By Zhang Qian |
April 11, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
OVER thousands of years trying and testing plants, the ancient Chinese found tea not only refreshing but also healing.
Widely used as medicine for millennia, tea is recognized today as a way of maintaining health and correcting mild complaints, such as coughing and both fatigue and insomnia.
Tea is a rich source of antioxidants that protect cells from damage, contribute to cardiovascular health, fight the effects of aging and may help prevent certain cancers.
Green tea, black tea, Oolong (half fermented) tea - all varieties of camellia sinensis - are popular and each has its own health properties tapped by traditional Chinese medicine. Flower "teas" are also used in healing but they are in a different category.
Although there are many varieties of green, black and Oolong tea, much of the difference lies in the way and degree they are processed.
During hot summers, many people suffer from excessive internal heat (yang energy), resulting in various complaints caused by the energy imbalance. Ulcers of the mouth and stomach are common. Green tea, which is good at dispelling internal heat, helps relieve thirst and indigestion, heal ulcers and dissolve phlegm.
In cool and dry autumns, neutral Oolong tea helps moisten the skin and throat. It helps dispel internal heat and it's not too stimulating. It helps people adapt to changing weather.
Black tea is the choice for winter when it's important to protect from what's known as pathogenic cold (yin energy). The yang energy that keeps us warm decreases in cold weather, so drinking warm black tea nourishes that remaining energy and strengthens the ability to fight cold.
As TCM doctors always warn, you have to pick the medicine that suits your own constitution - and this is true for tea. For "hot" (yang) people who easily feel hot and for those who smoke and drink, green tea and Tie Guanyin (Iron Guanyin, an Oolong tea) are the best choice.
Neutral Oolong and warm black tea suit "cold" people who are prone to feel cold or get diarrhea. Experts usually suggest that elderly people should drink warm tea.
Though tea is generally good for the health, drinking too much strong tea (too much caffeine) can dilute gastric acids and cause indigestion. It may aggravate chest congestion, increase blood pressure and put extra pressure on the heart.
For most adults, around 12g a day, 3-4g each time, is sufficient. After taking medicine, tea should not be consumed for an hour. People suffering insomnia should not drink tea at night.
Green tea
Green tea is a favorite among many Chinese and the famous varieties include Longjing from Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province; Biluochun from Suzhou in Jiangsu Province; and Maofeng from Yellow Mountain in Anhui Province.
Green tea is rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants that benefit heart health, help delay signs of aging and may help prevent some cancers. It can also do more.
"Cold" green tea improves metabolism, acts as a diuretic, helps dispel internal heat and relieve indigestion and diarrhea. Green tea is also refreshing since it contains caffeine, mostly in the first cup, but black tea and coffee are most people's preference when they feel sleepy.
Black tea
Black tea, which is very popular in the West, is fermented tea that is "warm." It can help relieve stomach pain.
Recent research shows that drinking black tea also helps prevent hardening of the arteries and veins that can lead to heart disease or strokes.
The best-known black teas come from Qimen (Keemun) County in Anhui Province. Popular black teas are also produced in Yunnan, Jiangsu, Hunan, Sichuan and Guangdong provinces.
Oolong tea
Most Oolong tea is semi-fermented and "neutral" in energy, but there are exceptions.
Tie Guanyin from Anxi in Fujian Province is cold, while Dahongpao from Wuyi and Foshou from Yongchun, both in Fujian, are neutral.
Crusted Oolong tea is often used to relieve colds and indigestion. It also helps decrease blood fat, weight loss, and works as an anti-allergen. Foshou tea can help relieve diarrhea and prevent high blood pressure.
Widely used as medicine for millennia, tea is recognized today as a way of maintaining health and correcting mild complaints, such as coughing and both fatigue and insomnia.
Tea is a rich source of antioxidants that protect cells from damage, contribute to cardiovascular health, fight the effects of aging and may help prevent certain cancers.
Green tea, black tea, Oolong (half fermented) tea - all varieties of camellia sinensis - are popular and each has its own health properties tapped by traditional Chinese medicine. Flower "teas" are also used in healing but they are in a different category.
Although there are many varieties of green, black and Oolong tea, much of the difference lies in the way and degree they are processed.
During hot summers, many people suffer from excessive internal heat (yang energy), resulting in various complaints caused by the energy imbalance. Ulcers of the mouth and stomach are common. Green tea, which is good at dispelling internal heat, helps relieve thirst and indigestion, heal ulcers and dissolve phlegm.
In cool and dry autumns, neutral Oolong tea helps moisten the skin and throat. It helps dispel internal heat and it's not too stimulating. It helps people adapt to changing weather.
Black tea is the choice for winter when it's important to protect from what's known as pathogenic cold (yin energy). The yang energy that keeps us warm decreases in cold weather, so drinking warm black tea nourishes that remaining energy and strengthens the ability to fight cold.
As TCM doctors always warn, you have to pick the medicine that suits your own constitution - and this is true for tea. For "hot" (yang) people who easily feel hot and for those who smoke and drink, green tea and Tie Guanyin (Iron Guanyin, an Oolong tea) are the best choice.
Neutral Oolong and warm black tea suit "cold" people who are prone to feel cold or get diarrhea. Experts usually suggest that elderly people should drink warm tea.
Though tea is generally good for the health, drinking too much strong tea (too much caffeine) can dilute gastric acids and cause indigestion. It may aggravate chest congestion, increase blood pressure and put extra pressure on the heart.
For most adults, around 12g a day, 3-4g each time, is sufficient. After taking medicine, tea should not be consumed for an hour. People suffering insomnia should not drink tea at night.
Green tea
Green tea is a favorite among many Chinese and the famous varieties include Longjing from Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province; Biluochun from Suzhou in Jiangsu Province; and Maofeng from Yellow Mountain in Anhui Province.
Green tea is rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants that benefit heart health, help delay signs of aging and may help prevent some cancers. It can also do more.
"Cold" green tea improves metabolism, acts as a diuretic, helps dispel internal heat and relieve indigestion and diarrhea. Green tea is also refreshing since it contains caffeine, mostly in the first cup, but black tea and coffee are most people's preference when they feel sleepy.
Black tea
Black tea, which is very popular in the West, is fermented tea that is "warm." It can help relieve stomach pain.
Recent research shows that drinking black tea also helps prevent hardening of the arteries and veins that can lead to heart disease or strokes.
The best-known black teas come from Qimen (Keemun) County in Anhui Province. Popular black teas are also produced in Yunnan, Jiangsu, Hunan, Sichuan and Guangdong provinces.
Oolong tea
Most Oolong tea is semi-fermented and "neutral" in energy, but there are exceptions.
Tie Guanyin from Anxi in Fujian Province is cold, while Dahongpao from Wuyi and Foshou from Yongchun, both in Fujian, are neutral.
Crusted Oolong tea is often used to relieve colds and indigestion. It also helps decrease blood fat, weight loss, and works as an anti-allergen. Foshou tea can help relieve diarrhea and prevent high blood pressure.
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