Sunday, March 1, 2009

Is Wu Long or Wu Yi Tea YOUR Fountain of Youth?

By Caitlin Ryan

Finally catching on in the Western world, wu yi and wu long tea have been drunk for centuries in China and other Asian regions. Your answer to beautiful skin may be in this wonderfully flavored, relaxing tea. Tea has the ability to fight premature aging and improve overall health.

Though both wu long and wu yi tea have become popular for both weight loss and age fighting, some proponents would have you believe that one is better than the other. Is this true? Let us look at the background on both teas.

Tea is born from Camellia sinensis, but then processed in different ways after harvest. Green tea, white tea, oolong tea and black tea are the main types of tea.

Unfermented teas are green tea and white tea. White tealeaves are harvested before the bud opens making it a bit milder than green tea, but both teas are relatively grassy tasting and a bit bitter. The tea we are most familiar with is black tea which is flavorful, but the leaves are highly fermented and thus, not as nutritious as green tea or white tea.

Oolong tea, on the other hand, is both pleasant tasting and highly nutritious. This is because they are fermented for a short time. There are two main varietals of oolong tea: wu long and wu yi. The wu long tealeaves are picked during the first growth cycle of the tea plant, which is then allowed to go through several more growth cycles.

Tea connoisseurs tend to believe that because of this, wu long tea is of higher quality and it is usually priced higher than wu yi tea. Wu yi tea, though, has the same health benefits and is just as capable of fighting aging as wu long tea. It is usually less expensive, and the flavor and aroma differences are so subtle that I personally feel that it is not worth the extra dollars to buy wu long tea versus wu yi tea. Both teas will help me maintain my youthful skin!

In a way, this is the same situation as purchasing a decent bottle of wine. Should you spend $50 on a bottle of Shiraz when you can spend $20 on a relatively equal quality wine? Maybe I would not spend just $5, but the $20 bottle is still lovely. The same goes for supermarket tea. You will not find wu yi tea amidst the bulk packs of black tea.

Both wu yi and wu long teas contain the highly effective antioxidants capable of helping you maintain youthful skin! This is because of their ability to fight free radicals and the damage they incur on your skin and overall health. In regard to your skin, these antioxidants can stave off wrinkles and improve the tone of your skin because they fight the free radicals that cause wrinkled, sagging, fragile skin.

Antioxidants in wu yi tea are necessary for skin cell replenishment. Wu yi tea has a lovely aroma and flavor that calms the mind. - 15343

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