TEA AND HEALTH
The Chinese identified the health benefits of tea long before we did. Tea was originally consumed mainly for its virtues, not for its taste. Over the centuries, they learned to identify all the virtues of tea, which became one of the key ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine, like ginseng or ginger. Tea has thus acquired its noble reputation, even becoming the subject of a well-known Chinese proverb: "A little tea a day keeps the doctor away." Today, numerous studies have shown that the benefits of tea are mainly due to the presence of antioxidants in its leaves, especially in the bud and the first two leaves.
Tea, an ancient medicinal plant
It is no coincidence that the Chinese character Cha ("tea" in Mandarin) means "plant that grows in a tree and is good for humans".
Tea, king of antioxydants
The chemical reactions that take place continuously in our body use oxygen and produce free radicals. Produced in excess, particularly in situations of stress, pollution, and excessive consumption of tobacco or alcohol, these compounds generate oxidative stress that attacks the body's cells, is responsible for their ageing and is involved in the onset of many diseases. To counteract this oxidative stress and trap free radicals, our body can rely on antioxidants provided by our diet: vitamins, trace elements, polyphenols, etc. Tea is one of the medicinal plants richest in polyphenols, constituents recognised for their beneficial health effects. Antioxidants are a large family: among them are the catechins. The best known of these is epigallo-catechin gallate or "EGCG". It is three to four times more powerful than vitamins C and E in the fight against cell ageing! And green tea is full of it...
Which tea for which effect?
The different manufacturing methods for different colours of tea not only affect the taste of the teas but also their molecular structure, and thus their properties.
Green tea
The benefits of green tea are unique. Unoxidised, green tea leaves keep their catechins, antioxidants that protect the body from cell ageing, almost intact, and are recommended as part of a diet, to regain tone and vitality, and for their effect on mental acuity. For example, did you know that Buddhist monks drink green tea to improve their concentration during meditation?
White tea
Even less processed than green tea, white tea offers a high concentration of epigallocatechins (EGC), antioxidants that help resist viruses by strengthening the body's natural defences, particularly those of the immune system.
Black Tea
Pu-erh tea
The fermentation of tea leaves to produce black tea, or even Pu-erh tea if you go as far as post-fermentation, changes the molecular structure of the polyphenols they contain. While the EGCG content decreases with this process, the concentration of theaflavins and thearubigins increases.
Hao Ling®, the benefits of Yunnan pu-erh tea
Pu-erh teas, post-fermented, are recommended to ease digestion, intestinal transit, burn fat and much more. The polyphenols in pu-erh tea are powerful antioxidants that neutralise the harmful effects of free radicals. The proteins carrying the 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol in our body can be oxidised by these free radicals. This can lead to an accumulation of cholesterol in the vessels in the form of plaques. Thanks to its polyphenol content, pu-erh tea has a positive effect on this oxidative stress and thus on the cholesterol level. It also has a beneficial effect not just on triglycerides, but also on digestion, as shown by several recent studies, and science is far from having finished highlighting all the benefits of tea! Check out our selection of Health Teas