Monday, June 30, 2014

5 Key Oolong tea Benefits and Side Effects You should Know


Oolong tea is well-known for its unique taste and enormous health benefits to our body. As green tea, oolong has high amount of polyphenols, alkaloids, saponins, polysaccharides and L-theanines. These polyphenols contribute to oolong's antioxidant activity and free radical scavenging abilities. Besides, caffeine and polyphenols are bioactive component to anti-obesity properties of oolong tea. It is also used to prevent tooth decay, osteoporosis, relax your mind. In this post I would like to sketch 5 main health benefits, side effects and some tips for choosing and brewing oolong tea.

5 Oolong Tea Health Benefits

  1. Natural anti-oxidant properties

Free radicals are the natural byproduct of the process of oxidation. If free radicals are not neutralized it can cause damage to human proteins, lipid, DNA and lead to fatal diseases. To protect our self, our body uses an inherent antioxidant defense to scavenge and treat free radicals. However this system cannot prevent all the damage caused by free radical. We can strengthen our antioxidant defense by using food with rich sources of organic polyphenols. Polyphenols like vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, flavonoids, catechins have antioxidant activity.   

Oolong tea has rich sources of polyphenols as epigallocatechin (EGC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epicatechin -3-gallate (ECG). EGC and EGCG have been proved to play an important role in the scavenging ability of oolong tea. EGC and EGCG might against the diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) and superoxide radicals. Moreover other low molecular weight polyphenols in oolong tea also support DPPH scavenging activity

2. Natural weight loss  supplement

In the early of 1990’s scientist found that oolong tea can support and reduce body weight. Scientists have proved that polyphenols and caffeine in oolong tea can block lipid absorption and promoted fat oxidation.  As that oolong tea is used widely as natural supplement to treat obesity hardening and high cholesterol. In my other post I will spend more time to discuss about anti-obesity benefit of oolong tea. 

3. Natural Remedy to Clear Acne

Oolong tea is proved to enhance and give you a dramatic skin effect. This benefit might come from the anti-allergic properties of the oolong tea polyphenols. In 2001, Shiga University of Medical Science in Japan found that oolong tea can enhance the skin treatment in patients with recalcitrant atopic (AD). In a study, 118 patients with AD drank oolong tea for 6 months. The patients were asked to maintain their dermatological treatment during the study.  Patients were instructed to drink 10 gram of dried oolong tea steeped in 5 minutes with 1000 ml of boiling water. The tea amount is divided in 3 equal serving and was drunk daily after 3 regular meals. In first weeks, the beneficial effect was first notice after 1 or 2 weeks of treatment. A good respond to treatment was still observed in 64 patients of 6 months. Base on this research daily drinking oolong tea might help us to prevent acne. Oolong tea might clear acne and gives us brighter skin too.

4. Oolong Tea support Healthy Teeth

You can easy find some toothpaste or oral care products which contain green tea or tea inside. Experimental evidence suggests that EGCG, ECG and other catechins can be anti-plaque agents. Catechins in tea can prevent our teeth from the attachment of oral streptococcal pathogens. ECG and EGCG bind bacterial cellular proteins and decrease its hydrophobicity. And then prevent their further development. According to a study of the Dept. of Dentistry at Japan's Osaka University regular consumption of oolong tea can help to reduce plaque deposit and tooth decay. 

5. Natural anxiety remedies

Fragrant compounds in plant, forest have been proved to be able enhance the GABAA response receptors in our brain. People using fragrant for treating anxiety disorders, sleep disturbances, muscle spasms and seizure disorders. Oolong tea contains the fragrant compounds such as geraniol, linalool and benzyl alcohol. In the research of Yamaguchi University, Japanese scientists used oolong fragrant to regulate the GABAA levels in the brain. Oolong tea is proved to sharpen thinking skills by improve mental alertness by increasing GABAA level in brain. Besides, oolong tea fragrant might be able to handle the stress and reduce the headache. As that having a fresh cup of oolong tea can help us relax and keep our mind balance.

Tips for brewing oolong tea

The leaves of oolong tea should not be damaged and look reasonably whole once they are infused and unfold. After making the tea, the leaves should be tender, pliable and look fresh. The leaves should not be chewy, old and thick. If it looks like that it might be picked lately.

You can brew oolong tea for three to five times with the same leaves. The best tea should be able to keep its rich flavor through multiple infusions. Besides, good oolong tea will not become bitter for a long aftertaste. With lots of people the third or fourth steeping oolong tea usually the best. With me my favorite is the second time brewing as the second brewing taste is not so strong or not so soft.

How to brew oolong tea?

In a traditional way, people will brew 3 grams of tea (2 teaspoons) per cup with 200 ml of water. The water temperature about 205°F (93 to 96°C) water (not boiling) and steeped 3–10 minutes. 

You can maximize the scavenging ability of oolong tea by changing brewing time and water temperature. A study of Guangzhou and Clemson University found that the best time to brew oolong tea is 3 minutes with boiling water (100°C). Oolong tea will have the highest activities of scavenging DPPH and superoxide radicals. 

Side effects of Oolong tea

The side effects of oolong tea mainly come from caffeine. Caffeine account only 5-7% of oolong tea. If you drink more than five cups per day, you might have some side effects because of the caffeine. These side effects range from mild to serious. Side effects include headache, nervousness, sleep problems, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, convulsions, and confusion. And in these conditions you should take more notices or ask your health provider advice before using oolong tea:
  • Oolong tea in small amounts is probably not harmful to pregnant or breast-feeding. But, do not drink more than 2 cups a day of oolong tea. Too much caffeine during pregnancy might harm to the baby. And over-dose caffeine might cause irritability and increase bowel movements in nursing infants.
  • The scientists found that caffeine might slow blood clotting and make bleeding disorders worse.
  • Caffeine in oolong tea can cause irregular heartbeat in some people.
  • If you have diabetes, talk with your doctor before using oolong tea.
  • Drinking oolong tea can flush out calcium in the urine. Consider if you need calcium supplements to make up for the calcium that is flushed out. If you have osteoporosis, don’t drink more than 3 cups of oolong tea per day.
  • Caffeine in oolong tea might increase blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. But, this side effect does not happen in people who often drink oolong tea or other caffeinated products.

Oolong tea has a unique taste and amazing effect on the body and also on mind. This tea supplies us the rich source of polyphenols is required for anti-oxidant process and the total good health. Besides oolong tea can enhance your skin, oral health and balance your mind. But you should notice the side effect you might have when having more than 5 cups of oolong tea in one day. Ask for doctor advice when you have concerns or special health condition. I do hope you can find the information you concern about oolong tea in my post. Let me knows what do you think and what I can add to make this post better.

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