Wu Long Tea

You may have never heard of Wu Long tea, at least by that name. Here are some basic facts about this extraordinary tea that you may find fascinating. Chances are that you know this tea called Wu Long by another name. More commonly in the west and in some parts of Europe, it is referred to as oolong tea. However, this may soon be changing due to some recent research involving oolong tea and weight loss.

It appears that oolong teas have been found to have the same capabilities to jump start a sluggish metabolism that are found with green tea. However, oolong tends to produce roughly twice the difference in metabolic rates that green tea does. At the same time, Wu Long has about half the amount of caffeine that one finds in green tea. What this can mean is that persons who may be concerned about taking in too much caffeine while using green tea for weight loss might find wu long tea to be a nice alternative. Interestingly enough, a number of persons who are promoting wu long tea as a weight loss product are tending to fall back on the more ancient variation of the name, marketing a range of extracts and compounds that include Wu Long tea instead of oolong. Regardless of which name is used, the fact of the matter is that the tea is now catching on for its health benefits and not just for the wonderful robust flavor that the tea has been known for in the past.

If you would like to try Wu Long tea as part of your weight loss program, check with local teashops or visit your local health food store. Typically, you should be able to find containers of loose tea, although more outlets are providing oolong in tea bags as well. Drink the tea for a few weeks even as you continue your exercise program and watch what you eat. You may find that the tea helps you feel more full in between meals as well as helping your body burn energy more efficiently.

Wu long (also called Oolong or Wulong) is a Chinese tea which is a half-way between green and black teas. Where black teas have been through a thorough oxidation process and green tea is merely dried. Wu long tea goes through a partial oxidation process making it look and taste like a cross between green and black tea. In China these teas are part of a group called qingcha – which literally translated means blue-green tea. Part of this group of teas includes the specialist Wu Yi tea which is produced in the Wuyi mountains of China. This provides the same health benefits but has a sweeter aftertaste compared to standard wu long varieties.

Taste
Wu long tea hasn’t the same earthy aroma and kick of black tea but nor does it have the fresh zesty and grassy taste of a green tea. Its normally drunk very strong and bitter but this bitterness is replaced by a light sweetness.

Is it a slimming tea?
Indeed it is and the evidence for it is mounting! The first study conducted was in China (1998) in which they found a group of 102 women drinking wu long tea over 6 weeks reduced body weight by 2% on average.

Again in 2001 Dr William Rumpler used 12 adult men and gave them all one of 4 drinks over 3 days. The four drinks were:

1) Full strength wu long tea.
2) Caffeinated water with caffeine equal to cup of tea.
3) Half strength tea.
4) Plain non-caffeinated water.

In the wu long tea group they observed a 3% increase in energy expenditure which translated to an extra 67 calories per day. Fat oxidation also increased by 12% during the testing period. The caffeine groups had negligible effects which shows that its not the caffeine in wu long tea that’s slimming. As more evidence mounts into the slimming effects of this tea you can be safe in the knowledge that whatever its affect on weight its full of antioxidants so its good for the whole body.

As we grow older, the effect of free radicals takes its toll on the body mainly in the form of aging. Actually in the past 50 years, free radical research has strongly concluded that free radicals are a major factor in aging and the visible signs that go along with it. Other diseases related to aging and caused in whole or part by free radical damage are cancer, Alzheimer’s dementia, arthritis and inflammatory disease and heart/artery disease. These free radicals are produced by stress, pollution, eating processed foods, chemical additives in many of the foods we eat etc..

Many of the visible signs of aging, such as dark spots and wrinkling of the skin, have been strongly linked to increased levels of free radicals invading our body… day in – day out. The damaging process is certainly a gradual one. Fortunately you can take action to reduce the amount of these nasty, damaging substances in your body by increasing the antioxidant level in your body without drugs. Antioxidants are the best defense against free radicals.

One of the best and enjoyable methods is to drink Wu-long tea (oolong). Wu Long tea is rich in these 3 substances: catechins, theaflavins and thearubigins. These substances act as antioxidants, which destroy free radicals and are completely natural. Be advised, grocery store versions of Wulong or any teas have much lower levels of these antioxidants because the leaves have been extremely processed. The oxidation process reduces the catachin level.
To get maximum potency and value of Wu Long tea I suggest you find a good online tea store and not waste your money on pre-packaged name brand type wu long tea.

Also it’s nice to know there are no side effects to drinking Wu-long tea; it tastes great and is good for your soul! You are doing yourself a favor every time you drink a cup….slowly undoing the ageing process !