Effets du Puerh sur la santé, suite

Tasty and Full of Health Benefits Pu-erh is a Tea Superstar – ASSOCIATED CONTENT (AC)

It seems like everyone has something to say about the great health benefits of green tea, but green tea isn’t the only superstar in the world of Asian teas. Pu-erh tea (also labeled as Puer tea) has been the subject of many health studies over the past few years. The result? Scientists and tea -lovers alike say that Pu-erh tea might be a winner for those wanting to lower high cholesterol.

Pu-erh tea is a “large leaf” Chinese tea known for its aging process. Though it might not be as sought after in the United States, well-aged Pu-erh can be an expensive luxury in other countries. The older the leaf, the higher its value; however, to get great benefits from Pu-erh, there’s no reason for a tea novice to shell out the cash for the more expensive brands.

For hundreds of years, Pu-erh tea has had a place in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. It is most often drunk at meal times to aid in digestion and blood circulation, but Pu-erh has also been used to treat a number of other conditions throughout the years. Pu-erh tea has even been marketed as a weight loss aid more recently. While studies have not been able to significantly prove that Pu-erh aids in weight loss, rats given a Pu-erh diet have been subject to weight loss. More significant, however, has been the reduced cholesterol levels discovered in these studies.

In a 2005 comparative study between Pu-erh, green, black, and oolong tea by the Tea Research and Extension Station in Taipei, Taiwan, it was found that, while all four of the teas proved beneficial in combating cholesterol in some way, Pu-erh tea was the only tea that significantly lowered triglyceride levels and lowered total cholesterol. Another study at Kunming Medical Collegein China found that Pu-erh tea provided nearly the same result as a common cholesterol prescription drug, lowering the level of blood cholesterol in human subjects with high cholesterol by a whopping 64.29%.