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This tea was first discovered in China and has been associated with good health ever since. But legend has it that in 2737 BC Emperor Shen Nung, who was known as the “Divine Healer”, was boiling his drinking water when some tea leaves accidentally blew into the pot. The Emperor noted a delightful aroma and, upon sipping the beverage, proclaimed it to be good for health and well-being, and so began the drinking of tea.

What makes Oolong Tea so special?

Oolong tea leaves come from the Camellia Sinensis plant, a bushy shrub native to Asia, and is the common source for black, oolong and green teas. Oolong tea is produced from fresh leaves from the plant, only slightly fermented, leaving the polyphenols content intact. The tea plants grow in Taiwan on the High Mountains known for the rich soil with health properties, during the day bathing in the sunlight and during the evening and nights surrounded by the thick fogs from the ocean in a constant colder temperature.

What are Polyphenols?

The Polyphenols found in Oolong tea are more commonly known as flavanoids or catechins. One of the main catechins is a rich antioxidant called Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).

EGCG is 100 times more effective than Vitamin C and 25 times more effective than Vitamin E at protecting cells and DNA from free radical damage linked to many diseases. This antioxidant has twice the benefits of Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine, that is also known to limit the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet.

Oolong tea also contains alkaloid including caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline. This alkaloid provides the tea’s stimulant effects.

Benefits of Oolong Tea for health and well-being

The Chinese and Japanese have known about the medicinal benefits of Oolong and green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. The tea has been shown to have many positive health effects, which include anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, cardiovascular, dermatologic, hematologic, metabolic and neurological effects.

Oolong tea’s antioxidant properties

Oxidation is an essential part of many natural metabolic reactions in our body. It is the oxidation of some compounds, such as fats, that can lead to the creation of “free radicals” which are harmful to the body and can cause damage to our cells.

Excessive build up of these free radicals not only leads to cell damage, but ultimately over time can result in various states of chronic diseases, inflammation, and accelerating the aging process. Some of these conditions include heart disease (resulting from LDL oxidation), renal disease and failure, several types of cancer, skin exposure damage caused by ultraviolet A and B rays, as well as many diseases associated with the onset of aging.

Oolong tea polyphenols are potent free-radical scavengers due to the hydroxyl group in their chemical structure. These hydroxyl groups can bind with free radicals to neutralize them, preventing reactions between free radicals and DNA, and their result in mutations that can adversely affect the cell cycle and potentially lead to malignancy and other diseases.

Oolong tea as cancer prevention / inhibition

Scientific research in both Asia and the west are providing hard evidence that suggest that Oolong tea and green tea may help prevent all three phases of tumour development: initiation, promotion and progression. While the studies are not conclusive, the tea polyphenols, particularly EGCG, may be effective in preventing and/or inhibiting various cancers including, prostate, breast, liver, lung skin and leukaemia.