Oolong Tea - Refreshing and Healthy?
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios

Defined Tag: Oolong Tea.

Tea has made a big comeback in our health conscious age. One particular tea that is enjoying a real renaissance these days is oolong tea. Here are a few facts about this tea and the health benefits many believe it contains.

Oolong is sometimes referred to as brown tea. It serves as a compromise between green tea and black tea. All teas are derived from the same plant. Where the real difference comes in is how the tea is harvested and processed. Oolong tea comes about by allows the tea leaves to lay out and oxidize for a short period of time after the harvest. It is this process of oxidation that determines the color of the tea leaves. The longer that the leaves are allowed to oxidize, the darker the leaves will turn.

Catechin is one of the elements of tea that is impacted by the oxidation process. Essentially the longer the leaves are allowed to oxidize, the less catechins are contained in the finished product. Thus, catechin content is higher in green tea and less in black tea.

While it is true that oxidation reduces the level of carechin in oolong, it is also true that the same process actually increases the levels of theaflavins and ehearubigins in the tea. This means that oolong will actually contain a higher count of these elements than green tea. These particular antioxidants are understood to be excellent for retarding the chances of developing cancers, have anti-inflammatory agents, and may help with certain types of airborne allergies.

Oolong tea also appears to be of some value in helping persons with type 2 diabetes deal effectively with their condition. It may also help to ease the discomfort experienced by person suffering from eczema. As a promoter of oral health, oolong tea appears to slow down the development of cavities by killing bacteria in the mouth. Currently, there are those that promote the use of oolong tea to help dieters lose weight at a consistent but heart healthy rate.

All these benefits of oolong tea are helped along by the fact that the tea really does have a pleasing taste. Not as bitter as black teas, it requires fewer sweeteners for those who prefer sweet teas. For those that prefer their tea without any type of sweetener, the taste is mellower than black tea and not as bland as green tea. So, whether you like a steaming cup of hot tea on a chilly day or an ice-cold glass of tea in the summer, consider oolong - not only for the health benefits, but also for the refreshing taste.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.