From The Art and Alchemy of Chinese Tea by Daniel Reid
In addition to its value as an epicurean and aesthetic experience, High Mountain Oolong tea also has potent medicinal benefits, and it’s an excellent elixir for health and longevity. Long known in Traditional Chinese Medicine for its detoxifying and digestive virtues, High Mountain Oolong has been shown by recent scientific research in Japan to have powerful cleansing and protective properties for the lungs. This therapeutic effect is produced by the volatile aromatics which give this tea its distinctive fragrance. As gas suspended within the fluid of the tea, these aromatic elements are excreted from the bloodstream through the lungs rather than the kidneys, and as they pass through the delicate lung tissues with each exhalation, they dislodge and bind heavy metals, tars, and other toxins that accumulate in the alveoli (air sacs) and bronchia, allowing these toxic residues to be coughed up in wads of mucus and spat out. This discovery has made High Mountain Oolong the beverage of choice for millions of Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian smokers, who rank among the world’s heaviest consumers of tobacco. Studies have shown that smokers who drink High Mountain Oolong tea throughout the day have significantly lower rates of lung cancer, emphysema, and other respiratory ailments than smokers who don’t drink this kind of tea.
High Mountain Oolong has many other medicinal properties as well, all of which have been validated by modern scientific research. The most important therapeutic benefits derived from drinking High Mountain tea on a daily basis are briefly discussed below.
Antioxidant
High Mountain Oolong contains abundant supplies of potent antioxidants known as polyphenols and catechins. These compounds, also known as “free radical scavengers,” neutralize and eliminate the highly reactive metabolic molecules known as “free radicals”, the “cellular terrorists” that destroy cells, corrode tissues, and cause premature degeneration of the brain and internal organs. The antioxidants in High Mountain tea provide continuous detoxifying activity in the blood and tissues, protecting the body from toxic damage and preventing the formation of tumors.
Anti-cancer
Since the polyphenols and other antioxidants in High Mountain Oolong suppress tumor formation, drinking this tea daily provides strong protection against the development of all types of cancer, particularly I the lungs and liver, which suffer most from exposure to toxic contaminants in air, water, and food. This protection against cancer is further enhanced by the tea’s potent alkalizing action in the blood and tissues, where it counteracts the excessive acidity associated with the formation of cancer.
Medical scientists have long known that green tea helps prevent cancer, but now they know why; EGCG, or epigallocatechin gallate. This natural compound in tea hinders the action of an enzyme that incites cells to divide, and it could therefor become a promising treatment for cancer. High Mountain Oolong has even more potent anti-cancer properties than green tea, and unlike green tea, it can be drunk continuously throughout the day for maximum therapeutic benefit, without irritating the stomach.
Alkaline
High Mountain Oolong alkalizes the digestive tract, bloodstream, and cellular fluids, neutralizing the excess acidity which allows formation of cancerous tumors and leads to many other degenerative conditions as well. Blood and tissue acidity is the primary cause of calcium loss in bones and teeth, which in turn causes osteoporosis and tooth decay. Drinking this tea daily helps prevent the diseases and degenerative conditions associated with calcium deficiency.
Diuretic
The tea’s mild diuretic effects promote rapid elimination of toxins and metabolic waste flushed from the blood and tissues by the tea’s antioxidant and alkaline properties.
Deodorant
By alkalizing the mouth and stomach, High Mountain tea eliminates the bacteria responsible for producing foul odors in the breath. The aromatic fumes within the tea saturate the blood and bodily fluids with cleansing medicinal elements that deodorize bodily secretions.
Blood Adaptogen
High Mountain Oolong contains factors known as “adaptogens,” which may adjust the body’s vital functions to changing conditions in order to maintain a healthy state of equilibrium. This balancing effect is strongest in the bloodstream, where it helps regulate blood pressure, balances blood sugar, and prevents thickening of the blood.
Digestive
High Mountain Oolong assists digestion by neutralizing excess acidity and preventing fermentation and putrefaction in the stomach. It also breaks down fat molecules into smaller particles, making them easier to digest.
Detoxificant
Drinking this tea daily produces a continuous detoxifying effect throughout the body, facilitating the elimination of metabolic waste and toxic residues assimilated from food, air, and water.
Cholesterol Control
Studies have shown that High Mountain Oolong tea removes deposits of cholesterol and other sticky plaque from the walls of the blood vessels, thereby helping to prevent arteriosclerosis, heart disease, and strokes.
Stimulant
High Mountain Oolong contains only 0.5 percent caffeine, but it also contains several other compounds that have stimulating effects on the central nervous system. Unlike caffeine, which stimulates the body by racing the heart, these natural compounds in High Mountain Oolong gently stimulate and balance the entire nervous system, thereby enhancing alertness, improving cerebral function, and relieving mental fatigue. They also stimulate swift elimination of metabolic waste from the body. Because this tea contains so many nutrient co-factors, the stimulation it provides does not enervate the nervous system, as coffee and fully oxidized tea can, and its stimulating properties may therefore be enjoyed throughout the day without experiencing negative side-effects.
Nutrient
High Mountain Oolong contains significant amounts of vitamins A, C, and E, as well as essential minerals and trace elements. These nutrients boost the tea’s antioxidant and other therapeutic properties by providing key co-factors that are often missing in modern diets.
Antiseptic
By producing a clean alkaline environment within the body, High Mountain tea destroys a wide range of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes, which depend on highly acidic conditions in the blood and tissues in order to survive and spread through the human body.