Sip Your Way to Health: Discover the Tea That Aids Weight Loss and 1 That Prolongs Life

Discover which teas are best for reaping specific health benefits.

Pu-Erh Tea HelloRF Zcool/Shutterstock

Drinking a cup of tea can bring you more than just a calming effect, as it has many health benefits. However, given the wide variety of teas, selecting the most suitable one can be challenging. Serene Feng, a physician at the Northern Medical Center and a registered acupuncturist and herbalist in New York, outlined six types of tea and their respective health benefits during an interview with The Epoch Times.

Nearly anything can be steeped and called tea. However, strictly speaking, only the leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) can be called tea leaves. The tea plant, native to China, is a perennial evergreen shrub or tree.

The world’s major tea-producing regions are China, Japan, Taiwan, India, and Sri Lanka. While tea plants typically thrive in tropical and subtropical areas, exceptions exist. In Japan, for instance, temperatures are generally lower than those preferred by tea plants. However, Japan’s tea production remains high due to the cultivation of many highly cold-resistant tea plant varieties, such as Yabukita.

Health Benefits of Tea Leaves

Tea leaves’ functional substances and composition may vary due to differences in origin, processing methods, and degree of fermentation. Generally, tea leaves provide the following health benefits.

1. Boost Alertness and Mental Clarity

The six types of tea leaves we will introduce share a common benefit: They can boost alertness and mental clarity.

The functional substances in tea leaves that enhance alertness and mental clarity include theophylline, a caffeine derivative. However, unlike pure caffeine, theophylline has a milder effect and lasts longer.

Additionally, tea leaves contain theanine, which enhances its stimulating effect when combined with caffeine. Research has found that theanine has a relaxing effect, which can counteract the blood pressure-raising effect of caffeine. Therefore, after drinking tea, people often feel more alert and calm, while after drinking coffee, they may feel more stimulated and excited.

2. Antibacterial

Some toothpaste products contain extracts of white or green tea. These extracts are added because white and green tea have excellent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. White tea, in particular, is known for its potent antibacterial effects.

Research has found that rinsing the mouth with white, black, or green tea can inhibit the bacteria responsible for dental plaque formation. White tea, in particular, exhibits the most potent antibacterial effect.

3. Anti-Inflammatory

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), foods are believed to possess either cooling or warming properties. Cooling foods help lower body temperature while warming foods help warm the body. Therefore, consuming foods that correspond to your specific bodily condition is essential.

From the perspective of TCM, white and green tea are considered cooling. They can detoxify, reduce internal heat, and relieve inflammation. Therefore, when experiencing high levels of work-related stress, mental agitation, or irritability, it is advisable to consume white or green tea.

6 Types of Tea Leaves and Their Health Benefits

Tea is classified into six categories—white, green, yellow, oolong, black, and pu-erh—based on differences in raw materials, processing techniques, tea color, and oxidation levels.

1. White Tea

Usually, tea production involves processes like “killing green” (or fixing) and rolling to fully release the nutritional and flavorful substances in the tea leaves. However, white tea does not undergo these processes and is simply dried naturally or with minimal heat.

White tea is typically made from the plump, healthy buds of the tea plant. These buds are often covered with fine white hairs. White tea is known for its light, delicate flavor, and sweet aftertaste.

White tea undergoes minimal fermentation and oxidation. It can help cool the body, promote diuresis, and improve dental health by strengthening teeth and preventing tooth decay.

2. Green Tea

The production of green tea includes processes such as killing green, rolling, and drying.

Killing green is a critical step in the production of green tea. It helps maintain the tea leaves’ fresh green color, improves the taste of the tea, and prevents the oxidation of catechins, the primary functional nutrients in green tea. In other words, killing green is an essential step in preserving the antioxidant properties of green tea. In China, green tea is usually pan-fired, while in Japan, it is usually steamed.

Like white, green tea is an unfermented tea with low oxidation levels. It promotes fat breakdown, making it suitable for drinking after oily meals.

Studies have shown that green tea is rich in catechins, which offer a range of health benefits, including antioxidative, anti-tumor, and anti-aging effects, as well as the ability to improve blood lipids and reduce blood sugar. Green tea is also beneficial for preventing and treating cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological diseases.

Green tea contains the highest concentration of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). In contrast, black and oolong teas undergo oxidation during fermentation, leading to lower levels of EGCG. Research has found that EGCG possesses both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which can help protect nerve cells and prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

3. Yellow Tea

Yellow tea is a lightly fermented tea, processed similarly to green tea but with the addition of a “smothering” step. This involves wrapping or covering the tea leaves after killing green and rolling, either with paper or by stacking them and covering them with a damp cloth. The tea leaves undergo an oxidation process for several hours, which turns them yellow.

Yellow tea is often used to address spleen and stomach deficiency, food stagnation, and stomach distention. It also reduces phlegm, stops coughs, clears heat, and detoxifies.

4. Oolong Tea

Oolong tea is semi-fermented and is classified as neutral in nature in TCM, which means it is neither cooling nor warming.

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One study found that oolong tea can regulate the body’s fat metabolism, making it suitable for individuals with conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. Additionally, oolong tea also offers beauty and weight-loss benefits.

5. Black Tea

Black tea is fully fermented, typically fermented for five to six hours. This process oxidizes the polyphenols in the tea leaves, turning them red. Black tea can warm the stomach, dispel cold, aid digestion, and promote blood circulation, making it suitable to drink in the winter.

British people have a particular fondness for black tea. A study revealed that increased tea consumption was linked to a reduced mortality risk from cardiovascular diseases and other conditions. This effect was more pronounced in individuals who consumed tea without sugar or milk. Specifically, those who drank two or more cups of tea per day had a 9 percent to 13 percent lower risk of mortality compared to non-tea drinkers.

6. Pu-Erh Tea

Pu-erh tea can be divided into two types: raw and ripe. Ripe pu-erh tea undergoes complete artificial fermentation, while raw pu-erh has a lower degree of fermentation and naturally ages through air oxidation. When stored correctly, raw pu-erh tea can be kept for many years, with its taste becoming richer and smoother over time.

One study found that while aged pu-erh tea contains fewer antioxidants like catechins than green tea, it exhibited significant anti-aging effects in animal experiments. These effects include inhibiting the formation of amyloid proteins associated with cognitive impairment, with the results surpassing those of green tea.

Pu-erh tea, also known as the “Tea of Longevity,” is particularly suitable for older people. Its rich and mellow flavor can warm and nourish the spleen and stomach, aiding digestion. Furthermore, pu-erh tea can help eliminate free radicals in the body, providing beautifying and anti-aging effects.