Totorus

Photo credit by chadao

Tea has been used in Eastern medicine for centuries for its various health promoting benefits. Although all teas are derived from the same plant, and are only differentiated by their processing, the health promoting benefits of various teas are somewhat atypical of each other. The reason that the health promoting benefits vary from tea to tea is based on its placement on the ORAC scale. The ORAC scale measures the antioxidant level in food sources by comparison of each other.

While green tea is often regarded to as being exceptionally beneficial to a healthy lifestyle, oolong tea in some regards is in a league its own when health promoting benefits entire are concerned. This is not to say that green tea does not offer significant health benefits. Oolong tea’s health benefits just happen to be more unique by comparison to other tea varieties. These health promoting benefits are specific to oolong tea alone.

Oolong tea has been recently marketed here in the United States for a weight loss supplement. In fact several celebrities have endorsed oolong tea for the use of weight loss. Studies conducted in Japan have indicated that combining oolong tea with diet and exercise will produce effective weight loss. However, the health promoting benefits of oolong tea are not limited to its ability to enhance metabolic rates.

Oolong tea while effective as a weight loss supplement can also be utilized in the prevention and treatment of various other ailments. As oolong tea is high in antioxidant rich polyphenols which assist the body in its fight against free radicals, oolong tea can be effective in the prevention of various degenerative ailments. These ailments include heart disease, various forms of cancer, and osteoporosis. The content of antioxidant rich polyphenols in oolong tea is assumed to be the source of oolong’s health promoting benefits.

In addition to disease prevention, oolong tea when consumed on a regular basis offers various other health promoting benefits. Oolong tea helps to clear skin, promote healthier hair, and also to aid in the fight against tooth decay as it prevents the buildup of plaque.

The health promoting benefits of oolong tea are numerous. From longevity and increased immunity, to clearer skin and an enhanced metabolism oolong tea is worth its weight in media frenzy. However, contrary to popular belief the quality of the health benefits reaped from oolong tea are not determined by the tea’s origin. There are various companies that will contradict my last statement. The health promoting benefits of oolong tea do not change from region to region as they are all derived from the same plant. The rest is marketing hype.