Oolong tea benefits your health in a number of ways. The traditional Chinese tea known as oolong is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, the same plant used to make green tea and black tea.. But the way it is processed is what sets it apart. Oolong tea is made when those leaves are wilted under the sun, bruising them slightly for a partial oxidation that creates this type of tea. If you’re not much of a fan of other types of tea, you may find oolong tea to be the perfect fit. So, fill up your cup and drink it in to get these benefits.
How Oolong Tea Benefits You
What makes this Chinese tea a great one to put in your mug?
– It’s nutritious
Just like other teas, oolong tea benefits your health by giving you plenty of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Among those, you’re getting a bounty of polyphenols including theaflavins, thearubigins, and EGCG. There’s also L-theanine, an amino acid that helps boost your brain.
– It’s good for your heart
Getting back to those antioxidants, they can be useful for improving your heart health. Regularly drinking oolong tea benefits your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. As such, it may lower your risk for heart disease. Studies continue to show that it makes a significant contribution to helping with matters of the heart.
– Oolong tea benefits weight loss
It’s long been said that tea is ideal for weight loss. This is due to the antioxidants, though in the case of oolong tea, it may have the ability to help with enzyme inhibition and increase fat oxidation, directly decreasing body fat. It worked in animals and researchers are hopeful they’ll learn more about how oolong tea benefits managing your waistline.
– It helps your brain
We’ve already talked about how oolong tea benefits the brain through L-theanine. But there’s more brain-boosting power in this tea! Because of the caffeine, it can help increase when it comes to the releasing of dopamine and norepinephrine, both responsible for mood, function, and focus. This tea is also associated with a lower risk for cognitive impairment, making it a better afternoon pick-me-up than your regular cup of joe.
– Oolong tea benefits cell protection
Due to the antioxidants in oolong tea, it is believed that these can prevent cell mutations. Those polyphenols we mentioned before may even decrease the rate of mutated cell division too. It never hurts to protect your health, and this is one of the simplest ways to do it by filling your cup with oolong tea.
If you’ve never had oolong tea, it’s time to give it a try. It generally has a floral and fruity flavor, especially when you compare it to green tea, and is a refreshing way to start drinking to your health.