White Tea, a rare treasure among teas, boasts a long history. Its elegant name has been known for over 880 years. Why is white tea so renowned? Its benefits and effects play a significant role. But what exactly are the benefits of white tea?

White tea's health benefits not only include the familiar effects of fighting oxidation, reducing inflammation, and beautifying the skin, but also cooling the body, reducing fever, eliminating heat, promoting diuresis and detoxification, protecting the liver, uplifting the spirit, relieving fatigue, preventing respiratory damage caused by smoking, enhancing immunity, protecting the cardiovascular system, treating toothaches and high fevers, as well as alleviating allergies and adapting to new environments. As more people become aware of these health benefits, the consumption of white tea has increased. Products such as white tea beverages and skincare products have been introduced both domestically and internationally.

1. Cooling, Reducing Fever, and Avoiding Heatstroke with White Tea

White tea can help reduce fever, soothe the mind, calm the spirit, and improve sleep quality. In particular, aged white tea (aged for three years or more) excels in reducing fever and inflammation, as well as cooling the body. Experts recommend drinking Flower tea in spring, white tea and green tea in summer to prevent heatstroke, oolong tea in autumn, and Black Tea and pu'er tea in winter to nourish the stomach. It's best to drink a variety of teas rather than sticking to just one. White tea should be consumed regularly without interruption. To some extent, white tea is the most effective at preventing heatstroke. Its health benefits manifest through consistent consumption.

2. Treating Toothaches, High Fevers, and More with White Tea

Locals in Fuding have traditionally used brewed white tea to treat conditions like toothaches, high fevers, and measles. The method involves adding 10 grams of aged white tea (three years old or more) to water and boiling it for three minutes until the tea becomes concentrated. After filtering out the tea leaves and allowing the tea to cool to about 70 degrees Celsius, add large chunks of rock Sugar or honey, and drink it while hot. This method is often used to treat sore throats, toothaches, high fevers, and digestive issues. The resulting tea has a unique and rich flavor.

3. Promoting Diuresis and Detoxification with White Tea

Over 2,000 years ago, the “Shen Nong's Herbal Classic” recorded: “Shen Nong tasted hundreds of herbs and encountered seventy-two toxins in a single day, but he was cured by tea.” “Tua,” which refers to tea, led Lu Yu of the Tang Dynasty to conclude that “tea has been drunk since the time of Shen Nong and became widely known during the Zhou and Lu dynasties.” The high content of catechins, particularly flavanols, in Fujian white tea stimulates the dilation of renal blood vessels, increasing blood flow to the kidneys. This results in an increase in glomerular filtration rate, facilitating the elimination of lactic acid from the urine, thereby promoting diuresis and detoxification.

4. Antiallergenic Effects of White Tea

In clinical settings, allergic reactions can be classified into two major categories with four subtypes: immediate-type (I, II, III) and delayed-type (IV). Allergic dermatitis has a very high incidence rate in newborns, estimated at 20-30%, and continues to affect around 2-3% of young adults.

The catechins and unique polyphenols found in white tea are the primary active components responsible for its antiallergenic effects. White tea can effectively reduce swelling in inflamed areas of the dermis, contributing to its antiallergenic benefits.

5. Vision-Enhancing Benefits of White Tea

White tea is rich in vitamin A precursors, which the human body rapidly converts into vitamin A. This conversion helps prevent night blindness and dry eye syndrome, thus benefiting vision. It is particularly beneficial for individuals who spend long hours working on computers and teenagers looking to protect their eyesight. Bai Mudan tea is humorously referred to as the ballerina of white teas, the darling of white teas, and women's tea.

6. Protecting the Cardiovascular System with White Tea

The flavonoids in white tea retain a significant amount of quercetin during processing, which is an essential component of vitamin P. These compounds are known to significantly reduce vascular blockages and maintain vessel permeability.

7. Boosting Immunity with White Tea

Theanine breaks down into ethylamine in the human liver, which activates “gamma-delta T cells” in the bloodstream, triggering a defense response against external threats. This leads to the production of interferon, forming a chemical barrier against infection. Research conducted by Dr. Bukofsky of Harvard Medical School revealed that drinking white tea increases the production of interferon by immune cells in the blood by five times. Regular consumption of white tea enhances the body's ability to fight off infections and boost immunity.

8. Liver Protection and Repair with White Tea

Dr. Yuan Dishun, Director of the China White Tea Institute at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, emphasized the liver-protective effects of white tea during a forum. He explained that compared to control samples, white tea dried at 120°C significantly reduces the pathological damage caused by CC14 to liver cells. Higher doses provided better protection than lower or medium doses, indicating the liver-protective effects of white tea. His research also showed that white tea dried at 30°C could significantly reduce the pathological damage caused by CC14 to liver cells. The key processing step for the liver-protective effect of white tea is the extended withering process.

9. Relieving Fatigue, Nourishing the Heart, and Uplifting the Spirit with White Tea

The caffeine and flavanol content in white tea promotes pituitary activity, strengthens muscle contractions, relieves fatigue, clears the mind, and aids in concentration. Given its durability when steeped, a cup of white tea can provide excellent relief from fatigue and uplift the spirits after a long journey.

10. Adapting to New Environments with White Tea

Locals commonly use a concoction of aged white tea and a small amount of salt to alleviate discomfort from changing environments, and it is highly effective.

11. Preventing Respiratory Damage with White Tea

Regular consumption of white tea helps maintain normal blood sugar levels, achieving its hypoglycemic effect. It also prevents respiratory damage caused by smoking. White tea can repair DNA damage caused by smoking. We've reached this conclusion through human trials. Long-term smokers should drink more white tea for its excellent health benefits.