Wulong tea has been dubbed a tea to lose weight. Is this fact or fiction. Can you benefit from Oolong tea diet? This site proposes to give you the answer you are looking for about this amazing Chinese green tea.
Before anything else, let’s start by a quick overview of this famous tea which has so many names. Oolong, Wu-long, Wulong, different spelling for the same wonderful tea and pretty much the same pronunciation. Throughout the site we use all three spelling interchangeably.
The special qualities of this tea come from semi-fermentation, which produces a tea that is somewhere between black and green tea, for this reason it is also referred to as qing cha “blue-green tea.”
The origins of Wu-long tea spring out of a legend.
According to Wikipedia, a plantation worker saw a black dragon spring up from a tea bush. This bush produced leaves with a woody taste with nuances of chestnut and hazelnut flavors. From this bush Oolong tea was produced, a tea also called for the color of the brewed tea a bluish-green color.
What do you really need to know about Wu-long tea?
- It is normally made from whole leaves
- It is low in caffeine
- It is somewhere between a black tea and a green tea
- It comes from China the provinces of Tie Guan Yin, Fenghuang Dancong, Shui Hsien, Dahongpao, Wuyi Rou Gui and two provinces in Taiwan, Dong Ding, Bai Hao
- It is probably the most popular tea served in Asia
- It is also called blue-green tea
- The word Oolong means black dragon
Can you lose weight with Oolong tea?
According to a clinical study in Japan, Oolong tea could be a major contributor to weight loss!
In this study the subjects compared were females, and they were given a certain amount of Wu-long tea to drink, while the control group was given ordinary green tea. The goal of the study was to determine the effects of catechin and polyphenol, (natural ingredients in Oolong tea,) on weight loss. To that effect two beverages were produced, both were brewed oolong tea, one was rich in catechin (690 mg/340 ml) while the other only had a small amount of these elements (22 mg/340 ml.) Both drinks was low in caffeine.
During the study all the participants follow a normal Japanese diet. The Oolong tea drinkers were given 340 ml of Wu-long tea daily, half of them using the high catechin concentration variation and half taking the other brew. Results indicate that subjects who drank the tea rich in catechin lost more weight than the control group.
Furthermore, a loss in BMI (body mass index) was observed, as well as a reduction in waist line.
Chinese teas have a long and diverse history. They are often used in Chinese traditional medicine to strengthen people immunities and general health, as well as to cure some illnesses.
The following is a list of the most commonly uses of the different types of Chinese teas most commonly used for medicinal purposes.
Green tea
Prepared at high temperature and is not fermented, it has a green color and a nicely perfumed odor. It is said to have cool properties, it can calm the mind, help eyesight, promotes better digestion, soothes hang-overs, and mucus production. It dilute grease, and facilitate bodily excretions, as well as give vital energy. It is good to cool the body and elimination of toxins. It is a good thirst quencher, and can prevent swellings.
Black tea
It is fermented. It is black when dry, but reddish when brewed. Its odor is pure and perfumed.
Black tea can stimulate and calm the mind, and has many of the same proprieties that green tea possesses, it can also help in kidneys and stomach functions. You can use it to help in problems of diarrhea.
Silver tea
With special preparation of naturally drying the leaves, it has a white appearance when dry, but a yellow color when brewed. It possesses a fresh and perfumed odor.
Silver tea properties are said to be cold. It is good to fight heat, therefore comforting when someone has a fever, it can also help dissipate pain.
Wulong tea
Wulong tea is a semi-fermented tea, its color is a purple-brown and its odor is fresh like green tea and soft like black tea.
Its properties are said to be sweet, it can stimulate the mind, help in digestion, and lessen fever and pain. It increases diuresis, will cure a hangover and stimulate blood flow.
Jasmin tea
Can dissipate congestion, give energy and regulate menstruation.
Early tea
This is tea gathered during the last 10 days of April, and it should consumed within 3 years. This early tea has cold and sweet properties that help eyesight, gives energy, opens oral passages to clear mucus, and also helps in digestion.
