Surprising Health Benefits of Pu-Erh Tea, A Chinese delicacy

Over the years drinking herbal teas have become popular for losing weight. One such tea is Pu-erh tea, which is famous for its amazing health benefits and weight loss properties.

Pu-erh tea is one of China’s best-kept secrets, which is cultivated from the same plant as oolong, black, and green tea. 

 If you are keen to know the surprising health benefits of this Chinese fermented tea, keep reading this article.

What is Pu-erh tea?

Pu-erh tea is a distinct type of Chinese fermented tea that is traditionally made in the Yunnan Province of China. The tea is made from the leaves of a plant called Camellia Sinensis.

There are various other types of fermented tea like Kombucha; however, Pu-erh tea is different because the leaves are fermented, unlike a brewed tea. The Pu-erh tea is fermented like oolong tea and then once again undergoes a process post-fermentation. After fermentation, the leaves are sun-dried and aged in a high-humidity environment.

 Just like more aged wine tastes better, the longer Pu-erh tea is aged, the more beneficial it is. 

This is one of the special Chinese delicacy, usually found in the form of cake or brick of tea leaves. 

Pu-erh Tea Benefits and Uses:

People drink Pu-erh tea not only because of its great health benefits but also to reap the benefit of fermented foods. Below we have mentioned some amazing Pu-erh tea health benefits:

May promote weight loss.

Certain scientific evidence present that Pu-erh tea is great for shedding extra kilos off the body. 

Animal studies have shown that Pu-erh tea helps to synthesize a few of the new fat cells while burning stored body fat, thereby leading to weight loss. 

Pu-erh is a fermented tea that helps in introducing healthy probiotics and gut bacteria into the body. These probiotics help in improving blood sugar control, which plays an important role in hunger and weight management. 

A study done on 36 overweight people presents that consumption of 333 mg of Pu-erh tea three times a day for 12 weeks resulted in improved body mass index, body weight, and less abdominal fat measurements.

Improves Cholesterol 

There are various animal studies that present that Pu-erh tea extract supplements benefit fat blood levels. Pu-erh tea benefits by lowering the cholesterol levels in two ways:

• First- Pu-erh tea increases the amount of dietary fat bound bile acid excretes through feces, thus preventing the fat from being absorbed in the bloodstream.
• Second- Pu-erh tea reduces fat accumulation.

This, in turn, minimizes the heart disease risk. 

Read More:- Know More About Lemon Balm Tea Benefits

Inhibits Cancer Growth

As per several test-tube studies, Pu-Erh tea extracts demolish breast cancer, colon cancer, and oral cancer cells. (Source) According to research and findings, applying highly concentrated extracts to cancer cells directly helped in preventing cancer cell growth. It does not report any effects of drinking Pu-erh tea on cancer cells.

Boost Liver Health

Pu-erh tea benefits by reducing fat accumulation, which in turn prevents and even reverses nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. This disease is responsible for excess fat accumulation in the liver. 

Another animal study presents that Pu-erh tea extract protects the liver from getting damaged due to the chemotherapy drug cisplatin. 

Body Cleansing

Pu-erh tea is known to work wonders for blood cleansing. We eat many types of foods containing toxins, fatty oil, and chemicals that can toxify the body internally. This Chinese fermented tea helps in cleansing the blood and body from toxins. 

Simple sugars and micro-organism produced during the fermentation process attacks the toxins in the blood and detoxifies the body.

Help reduce stress

Pu-erh tea contains theanine and phytochemicals GABA, which are known to reduce stress levels and increase the brain’s melatonin production. This in turn reduces stress and brings sound sleep. 

Pu-erh Tea Side Effects

The majority of the Pu-erh tea side effects come from the caffeine content. Pu-erh tea can have 30-100 mg caffeine content per cup, depending on the brew strength.  (source)

People can usually tolerate up to 400 mg of caffeine every day. However, there are certain side effects associated with Pu-erh Tea Caffeine content:

• insomnia
• dehydration
• shaking
• dizziness
• changes to your heart’s rhythm
• diarrhea or excessive urination

Fermented foods are known to affect the gut bacteria concentrations; therefore, Pu-erh tea may also have some effect on digestion and may cause an upset stomach. 

How To Brew Puerh Tea?

Pu-erh tea is available in the form of tea bags or tea cakes.  You can take out the amount of tea leaves you want from the cake. Take 2-3 grams of Pu-erh tea in 200 ml of water (you can modify the amount depending on how strong or mild you want it to be).

Place the tea in an infuser and place the infuser in a pot. Pour hot water into a pot and swirl it for some time to rinse out the impurities from the tea. Throw the water. 

Pour fresh hot water into the pot (remember, the hotter is the water, the better will be the brew). Allow the tea to infuse in hot water for 4-5 minutes. 

That’s all! Your Pu-erh tea is ready to be served. You can use the same tea at least twice. 

Interactions:

Pu-erh tea is relatively safe with most drug interactions because of the caffeine content. Certain drugs that may interact negatively with Caffeine include antibiotics, stimulants, asthma medications, and heart medications.

Note: Consult with your healthcare provider if you have any concerns regarding your medications and caffeine intake in the Pu-erh tea. 

Storage and Handling:

Pu-erh tea is a fermented product that improves in quality as it ages if you store it properly. Store the Pu-erh tea in an airtight container in a cool and dark place. If you notice any weird smell or any visible mold, then throw it and do not consume it. 

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding:

The caffeine content in the Pu-erh tea may be a cause of concern during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Although it is not necessary for a pregnant woman to cut off caffeine entirely from the diet, avoid overconsumption. According to experts, during pregnancy, the maximum consumption of caffeine should be 200 mg.

When it comes to Pu-erh tea, up to 100 mg of tea can be consumed by a pregnant woman as long as no other type of caffeine is being consumed.

Alternative To Pu-erh tea:

Pu-erh tea is a unique fermented tea in the oasis of herbal teas. As far as we consider brewed teas, black tea is the closest possible alternative to a Pu-erh tea. 

Black tea has dark color due to its oxidizing but is not fermented like the Pu-erh tea.

If you want to try a fermented beverage, try Kombucha, which is another type of fermented tea. This can be made from any type of tea, where the liquid is fermented as opposed to the tea leaves similar to Pu-erh tea. 

Final Words:

Pu-erh tea, Chinese fermented tea, has a strong taste and mellow earthy flavors. People believe that consuming it at the right time will help in losing weight, but odd timing consumption can make you gain weight instead. The right time to drink Pu-erh tea for losing some kilos is one hour after the meal. It removes excess grease and eliminates hard-to-digest and unwanted fats. If you drink this tea before a meal, it will clear the fat deposits in the body and food residues in the stomach resulting in increased appetite, which makes you overeat.