Six Major Health Benefits of Fuding White Tea: How Many Do You Know?
White tea is a lightly fermented tea and a rare variety among China's six major traditional tea categories. Its place of origin is Fuding City, Fujian Province, and its main production areas are Fuding City, Zhenghe County, Jianyang County and other areas in northeastern Fujian. However, its processing method has now expanded to many tea regions within China and has spread to countries such as India. The unique processing technique of Fuding white tea gives the finished tea its quality characteristics: covered with white pekoe, elegant tea color, light liquor, fresh and mellow taste with a clean sweetness, and a refined aroma with pekoe fragrance. According to differences in the fresh leaf raw materials used and the processing techniques, white tea can be divided into five types: Baihao Yinzhen, Bai Mudan, Gongmei, Shoumei and new-process white tea. In recent years, based on traditional loose tea, compressed forms of the product have also appeared.
White tea is cold and cool in nature and flavor and is a commonly used folk remedy for reducing internal heat. Since ancient times, there have been many records about white tea clearing heat and detoxifying and treating and caring for measles patients. Modern medical research further shows that, like other teas, white tea also has nutritional and health functions such as antioxidant effects, prevention of cardiovascular diseases, regulation of immune function, cancer prevention and anticancer effects, anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects, anti-allergy effects and anti-hypertension effects. However, because its unique processing technique corresponds to the formation of certain internal biochemical components, it has health benefits different from those usually associated with other teas, such as the "three reductions and three resistances." What special benefits does white tea actually have? By "special," it means different from things of the same kind or from ordinary situations. Below, let the editor explain them one by one in light of some Chinese and international research results on the health benefits of white tea.
1. Antibacterial and antimicrobial benefits
M. Pilar and others found that white tea and green tea have the highest antimicrobial activity. The latest research from Pace University in the United States shows that white tea extract has a preventive effect on the growth of bacteria that cause staphylococcal infections, streptococcal infections, pneumonia and other infections. Research results by Gilberto Santana-Rio and others show that white tea has a better bactericidal effect than green tea, and white tea extract can effectively inhibit Salmonella.
2. Cancer prevention, anticancer and anti-mutation benefits
Research by the American Institute for Cancer Research shows that white tea has anticancer benefits, and intake of white tea can improve human immune function and even inhibit and shrink liver cancer tumors. Epidemiology and animal experiments suggest that tea can play a preventive role against gastrointestinal cancer. Gayle A. and others compared the inhibitory effects of green tea and white tea on intestinal tumors in mice and found that the mixture of white tea and sulindac had the strongest inhibitory effect on tumors.
Gayle A. and others also studied the anti-mutagenic effect of white tea, and the results proved that white tea has an anti-mutagenic effect, and its inhibitory effect on mutation is stronger than that of green tea and stronger than that of any other tea category. Wang Gang and others used two green teas, West Lake Longjing tea and Yunwu green tea, as references to evaluate the anti-mutation and in vitro anticancer effects of two white teas, Bai Mudan and Baihao Yinzhen. The Ames test was used to compare the anti-mutation properties of green tea and white tea, and the result was that white tea had a better anti-mutation effect than green tea. The MTT assay was used to verify its anticancer effect. Under treatment at a concentration of 400g/mL, Bai Mudan and Baihao Yinzhen showed better inhibition of the growth of AGS and HT-29 cancer cells than Longjing green tea and Yunwu green tea. Therefore, it was concluded that white tea has better anti-mutation and in vitro anticancer effects than green tea.
3. Blood pressure-lowering benefits
Because of its special processing technique, white tea better retains the flavonoid quercetin, and quercetin is an important component of vitamin P and has a clear effect in reducing vascular permeability. In addition, as the storage time of white tea increases, its flavonoid content shows a clear increasing trend. Research by Zhou Qiongqiong and others shows that the flavonoid content of aged white tea is higher than that of white tea from the same year, and the flavonoid content of white tea aged 20 years is extremely significantly higher than that of white tea from other years. This is also why white tea has the saying "one-year tea, three-year medicine, seven-year treasure."
4. Blood sugar-lowering benefits
Because of the special processing technique of white tea, it better retains active enzymes that are necessary for the human body and are present in smaller amounts in other tea categories. Long-term drinking of white tea can significantly increase lipoprotein lipase in the human body, promote fat decomposition and metabolism, effectively control insulin secretion, delay glucose absorption, break down excess sugar in the body and promote blood sugar balance.
5. Immune-boosting benefits
Research by Chen Yuchun and others shows that white tea can significantly increase serum levels in experimental mice, with an increase twice that of American ginseng. Serum has the triple biological activities of survival factor, differentiation factor and mitogen, and plays a key role in red blood cell production. White tea can promote the production of splenic lymphocytes in experimental mice, with an increase of 34.5%-152.3%, thereby prolonging cell lifespan and increasing RNA and protein synthesis.
According to a report by Chen Chuan, comparing theanine content in tea among different tea categories, Bai Mudan is the highest, followed by Huangshixi Maofeng, Baihao Yinzhen, Junshan Yinzhen, West Lake Longjing and others. Theanine is decomposed into ethylamine in the human liver, and ethylamine can mobilize human blood immune cells called gamma-delta T cells to respond against external harm, and then T cells promote interferon secretion, forming the human body's "chemical defense line" against infection.
6. Antagonizing side effects caused by caffeine
The theanine content in white tea ranks first among the six major tea categories (see Table 1 for details). According to reports by Tsunoda T. and others, when the theanine dosage is 1740mg/kg, it can significantly inhibit nervous system excitation caused by caffeine. In addition, caffeine shortens sleep time caused by rings and barbiturates, while theanine can offset this effect of caffeine. Therefore, compared with other tea categories, white tea has a weaker stimulating effect on the central nervous system.
Note: Excerpted from Cui Hongchun and Yu Jizhong's article "Comparison of Main Biochemical Components of White Tea and Research Progress on Pharmacological Effects."
In addition, L-theanine has a relaxing effect. Brain waves are divided into four types: delta waves appear during deep sleep, theta waves appear during dozing, alpha waves appear during relaxation, and beta waves appear during excitement. The relaxing effect of L-theanine can be confirmed by measuring changes in alpha waves. That is, in a closed environment (room temperature 25°C, light intensity 40lx), subjects were orally given water and a theanine aqueous solution whose taste could not be perceived (0.5-2mg/ml), and measurements were taken 1h later. The results showed that as the dosage increased, the appearance of alpha waves also increased significantly. This indicates that theanine has a relaxing effect.
Of course, the above is only a brief list of the main health benefits of white tea. White tea has the above health benefits, but the true manifestation of these benefits cannot be separated from sufficient intake and a relatively long-term and stable drinking habit. A sip or two, or holding a cup only occasionally, makes it difficult to obtain the above benefits. In addition, it should be added that although white tea corresponds to the above health benefits because of its internal characteristics, it still must not be deified or regarded as a panacea.