Tieguanyin tea possesses multiple health preservation and health care benefits.
Tieguanyin is not only a naturally delicious beverage with a rich aroma and mellow taste but also excels among teas in its health and wellness functions. Modern medical research indicates that Tieguanyin, in addition to the general health benefits of tea, has effects such as anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-arteriosclerosis, prevention and treatment of diabetes, weight loss and body shaping, prevention of dental caries, heat-clearing and fire-reducing, as well as sobering up from alcohol and counteracting the effects of smoking.
Chemical Components in Tea
It is well-known that drinking tea offers many benefits. But why does drinking tea have so many advantages? For most people, they know the fact but not the reason. With the development of science, by the early 19th century, the components of tea began to be gradually clarified. Through modern scientific separation and identification, tea contains over 450 organic chemical components and more than 40 inorganic mineral elements. The organic chemical components and inorganic mineral elements in tea contain many nutritional and medicinal components. The main organic chemical components include: tea polyphenols, plant alkaloids, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, pectin, organic acids, lipopolysaccharides, sugars, enzymes, pigments, etc. The content of organic chemical components in Tieguanyin, such as tea polyphenols, catechins, and various amino acids, is significantly higher than in other teas. The main inorganic mineral elements include: potassium, calcium, magnesium, cobalt, iron, manganese, aluminum, sodium, zinc, copper, nitrogen, phosphorus, fluorine, iodine, selenium, etc. The content of inorganic mineral elements in Tieguanyin, such as manganese, iron, fluorine, potassium, and sodium, is also higher than in other teas.
In recent years, research by domestic and foreign scientists, particularly Japanese scientists, has confirmed that the chemical components and mineral elements in Tieguanyin have special functions for human health, roughly in the following aspects:
I. The Anti-Aging Effect of Tieguanyin
Some scientific studies at home and abroad indicate that human aging is related to the excessive oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in the body, and the excessive oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids is associated with the action of free radicals. Highly chemically active free radicals can cause excessive oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids, leading to cell function mutation or decline, causing tissue proliferation and necrosis, resulting in fatal diseases. Excessive lipid oxidation is a demon for human health, but the culprit is free radicals. By clearing free radicals, cells can achieve normal growth and development, leading to health and longevity.
Typically, common antioxidants include vitamin C and vitamin E, both of which can effectively prevent the excessive oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids. Recent research by Japanese scientists shows that polyphenolic compounds in Tieguanyin can prevent excessive oxidation; purine alkaloids can indirectly help clear free radicals, thereby achieving the goal of delaying aging.
II. The Anti-Cancer Effect of Tieguanyin
Cancer is a currently serious "incurable disease" threatening people's health. Therefore, research on the anti-cancer effects of tea in recent years has attracted great interest and attention. Several years ago, a report stated that the incidence of esophageal cancer among Shanghai residents decreased year by year due to tea drinking, which caused a significant reaction worldwide regarding the fact that drinking tea can prevent cancer. Nowadays, it is widely recognized that drinking tea can prevent and fight cancer, and among teas, Tieguanyin has the best anti-cancer and cancer-prevention effects.
As early as 1983, Professor Okuda Takuo from Okayama University in Japan screened dozens of plant polyphenolic compounds for their anti-mutagenic effects, and the results proved that catechins (EGCG) have strong anti-mutagenic activity. Other scientists, in research confirming the anti-mutation effect of Tieguanyin, believe that tea polyphenols in Tieguanyin are the main active components for this effect; in research on chemical carcinogenesis, the cancer-preventing effect of Tieguanyin tea polyphenols was confirmed. Additionally, vitamin C and vitamin E in Tieguanyin can block the synthesis of the carcinogen nitrosamine, playing a significant role in cancer prevention and treatment.
III. The Anti-Arteriosclerosis Effect of Tieguanyin
On May 31, 1999, at the Fourth Oolong Tea and Health Seminar held in Tokyo, Japan, Vice President Chen Ling of the Fujian Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine reported their clinical observation on 25 patients with hyperlipidemia and obesity, exploring the effect of drinking Oolong tea Tieguanyin on inhibiting the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein in the blood and improving blood lipid metabolism. The study proved that polyphenolic compounds and vitamins in Tieguanyin can inhibit the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein in the blood. Dr. Hara Yukihiko from the Mitsui Forestry Research Institute in Japan also confirmed through years of research that polyphenolic compounds in tea can not only reduce cholesterol in the blood but also significantly improve the ratio of high-density lipoprotein to low-density lipoprotein in the blood. Caffeine can dilate blood vessels, accelerate respiration, and lower blood lipids, playing a certain role in preventing and treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, and arteriosclerosis.
According to a 1974 survey by the Coronary Heart Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Group of Fujian Medical University on 1080 farmers in Anxi tea country, Fujian, the incidence rate of coronary heart disease was 3.1% among those who did not drink Tieguanyin tea; 2.3% among occasional drinkers; and 1.4% among long-term drinkers (over 3 years). This shows that the incidence of coronary heart disease is lower among regular Tieguanyin drinkers compared to non-drinkers.
IV. The Effect of Tieguanyin in Preventing and Treating Diabetes
Diabetes is a worldwide disease. Currently, there are about 200 million people with diabetes worldwide, and over 30 million in China. Diabetes is a systemic chronic progressive disease primarily characterized by glucose metabolism disorders. Typical clinical manifestations are "three excesses and one deficiency," namely excessive drinking, excessive urination, excessive eating, and weight loss, accompanied by general weakness. In traditional Chinese medicine, this disease is called "wasting-thirst," falling under the category of lower energizer damp-heat. The main cause of the disease is the deficiency of polyphenolic substances in the body, such as vitamin B1, pantothenic acid, phosphate, methyl salicylate, etc., leading to glucose metabolism disorders, a sharp increase in blood sugar levels, and weakened metabolic functions.
Clinical experiments by Japanese medical doctor Ogawa Goshichiro and others confirmed that regular tea drinking can timely supplement the body with vitamin B1, pantothenic acid, phosphate, methyl salicylate, and polyphenols, preventing the occurrence of diabetes. For moderate and mild diabetic patients, it can reduce blood sugar and urine sugar to very low levels or completely normalize them; for severe diabetic patients, it can lower blood sugar and urine sugar and alleviate various main symptoms.
V. The Weight Loss and Body Shaping Effect of Tieguanyin
Obesity is a nutritional disorder that appears with the continuous improvement of living standards. It is caused by excessive nutrient intake or insufficient utilization of stored energy in the body. Obesity not only brings many inconveniences to daily life but is also a cause of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
In 1996, the Fujian Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine conducted a study on the weight loss effects of drinking Tieguanyin on 102 adult men and women with simple obesity. The study showed that Tieguanyin contains a large amount of tea polyphenols, which can not only enhance the action of fat-decomposing enzymes but also promote the metabolic activity of neutral lipases in tissues. Therefore, drinking Tieguanyin can improve the body shape of obese individuals, effectively reduce subcutaneous fat and waist circumference, thereby reducing their weight.
VI. The Effect of Tieguanyin in Preventing Dental Caries
It is generally believed that there are two major diseases that harm human teeth: dental caries and periodontitis. Dental caries, commonly known as tooth decay, is a common frequently occurring disease in dentistry. There are many causes of dental caries, one important reason being poor tooth calcification, insufficient hardness, making them susceptible to damage. The use of tea to protect teeth has been applied since ancient times in China. Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty wrote in "Tea Theory": "Rinsing the mouth with strong tea not only removes greasiness but also strengthens teeth and eliminates decay." Modern scientific analysis shows that Tieguanyin is relatively rich in fluorine, while the fluorine content in general foods is very low. About 40% to 80% of the fluoride in Tieguanyin dissolves in boiling water, easily combining with calcium in teeth to form a layer of calcium fluoride on the tooth surface, providing acid resistance and caries prevention.
Japan once conducted a survey on the caries rate among schoolchildren in two adjacent villages. The results showed that drinking Tieguanyin has a good effect on preventing and treating dental caries. Each schoolchild drinking a cup of Tieguanyin daily, calculated based on a fluorine content of 0.4 mg, over one year, half of the children who originally had caries were cured. Japan also surveyed students with dental caries in 100 elementary schools and found that after switching to drinking Tieguanyin, 55% of the students with caries showed significant improvement. This shows that drinking Tieguanyin has a preventive effect for those without caries and a therapeutic effect for those already affected.
VII. The Bactericidal and Dysentery-Stopping Effect of Tieguanyin
In Anxi folk tradition, Tieguanyin has long been used to treat dysentery and stomachaches. Many ancient Chinese medical texts also record the use of tea to treat bacterial dysentery, red dysentery, white dysentery, acute enteritis, and acute gastritis. Why can Tieguanyin have bactericidal and dysentery-stopping effects? Mainly due to tea polyphenol compounds. When tea polyphenols enter the gastrointestinal tract, they can relax the tension function of the intestines, easing intestinal movement; at the same time, they can coagulate intestinal proteins. Since bacteria themselves are composed of proteins, when tea polyphenols encounter bacterial proteins, the bacteria die, protecting the gastrointestinal mucosa, thus having the effect of treating enteritis.
VIII. The Heat-Clearing and Fire-Reducing Effect of Tieguanyin
Tea is a good beverage for preventing heatstroke and cooling down. Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica" records: "Tea is bitter in taste and cold in nature,... most effective in reducing fire. Fire is the root of all diseases; when fire is reduced, the upper body becomes clear.... Drinking it warm causes fire to descend due to cold qi; drinking it hot helps fire qi to disperse and ascend." In the height of summer, under the scorching sun and oppressive heat, drinking a cup of cool Tieguanyin or a cup of hot Tieguanyin brings a sense of physical and mental coolness and relieves thirst. This is because the tea soup contains tea polyphenols, sugars, amino acids, pectin, vitamins, etc., which react with saliva in the mouth, moisturizing the oral cavity, thus producing a thirst-quenching effect. Simultaneously, due to the action of caffeine in Tieguanyin, a large amount of energy is dissipated from the body's skin pores. It is reported that drinking a cup of hot tea causes the heat dissipated through sweating from the skin pores to be equivalent to 50 times the heat of the tea itself, hence making one feel cool and relieved from summer heat.
IX. The Refreshing and Mind-Enhancing Effect of Tieguanyin
It is almost universally known that drinking tea can refresh and enhance thinking. Many Chinese medical texts throughout history record this, and literati, poets, and eminent monks have also wielded their eloquent pens to praise tea's function of refreshing and enhancing thought. Bai Juyi wrote in his poem "To Wang Shisan, My Eastern Neighbor": "Hand in hand by the pond under the moon, open-hearted under the bamboo in the breeze. Driving away sorrow, I know the power of wine; breaking sleep, I see the merit of tea." The poem clearly mentions tea's power to refresh and break sleep. Su Dongpo wrote: "Thirty pieces of Jian tea, I wonder how they taste; I present them to layman Bao, to battle the sleep demon in the monk's chamber." He said giving Jian tea to layman Bao allows him to avoid dozing off during meditation. Drinking tea can enhance thinking, hence it is beloved by people, especially by writers, poets, and other mental workers. For example, the great French writer Balzac, Chinese-American writer Han Suyin, and the famous Chinese writer Yao Xueyin all loved drinking tea to aid their literary thoughts.
Tieguanyin can refresh and enhance thinking, mainly due to the caffeine in the tea leaves. Caffeine has the function of exciting the central nervous system, improving thinking, and enhancing efficiency. Therefore, drinking tea can break sleep, refresh, relieve annoyance, eliminate fatigue, clear the mind, enhance thinking, and significantly improve oral答辩 ability and mathematical thinking反应. At the same time, because Tieguanyin contains polyphenolic compounds, it counteracts the adverse effects of pure caffeine on the human body. This is also one of the important reasons why the history of tea drinking is long, enduring, and continuously developing.
X. The Sobering Up and Counteracting Smoking Effects of Tieguanyin
It is also well-known that tea can sober up from alcohol and counteract smoking. The famous saying by the Ming Dynasty philosopher Wang Yangming, "Just as after being heavily drunk, sobering up requires tea," indicates that Chinese people long ago recognized the effect of tea in relieving drunkenness. Ancient people often "drowned sorrows in wine" and "sobered up with tea." The Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi, one day after getting drunk, remembered that Bai Juyi had "Liuban tea" that could relieve drunkenness, so he sent someone to exchange goods for tea to sober up, which was later passed down as a tea anecdote. The main component of alcohol is ethanol, with a cup of wine containing 10% to 70% alcohol. The tea polyphenols in Tieguanyin can counteract ethanol (the main component of alcohol), hence drinking tea can relieve drunkenness.
Tieguanyin not only sobers up from alcohol but also counteracts smoking. Because Tieguanyin contains a type of phenolic acid substance that can precipitate nicotine from tobacco and excrete it from the body. At the same time, the caffeine in Tieguanyin can improve the liver's ability to metabolize drugs, promote blood circulation, and excrete nicotine from the blood through urine, reducing and eliminating the side effects of nicotine. Of course, this effect is not solely due to caffeine but results from the synergistic配合 of multiple components such as tea polyphenols and vitamin C.
A cup of clear tea, a segment of life, a hint of aftertaste! Drinking tea can be leisure, even more for meeting friends, sitting opposite for conversation, offering more品味, more回味!