Sunday, March 1, 2009

Which is better for Gorgeous Skin? Wu Long or Wu Yi Tea?

By Caitlin Ryan

Did you know that merely drinking a few delicious mugs of tea per day can boost the quality of your skin and fight premature aging? Wu yi tea has been drunk for centuries in the Asian world and thankfully, it is finally catching on in the Western world. Its age-fighting capabilities are remarkable! It may be YOUR answer to maintaining youthful skin!

Among oolong teas, wu long and wu yi have both become highly popular teas for weight loss as well as fighting aging. They are both incredibly healthy teas, but why is one touted over the other? Let us explore the world of tea for a moment.

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.

For this reason, many tea connoisseurs believe that wu long tea is superior. The tea is higher in price (usually) then wu yi tea, but wu yi tea has the same age-fighting, health-boosting capabilities than wu long tea has, and the flavor differences are so subtle that most people would not really notice. I say, save a few dollars!

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.

It does not matter whether it is wu yi or wu long tea when it comes to fighting free radicals and preventing premature aging. Tea contains highly powerful antioxidants that improve your skin health by eliminating free radicals and the damage they incur. For this reason, your skin will remain youthful for far longer when free radicals are not able to break down collagen and cause wrinkling, sagging skin.

As well, the antioxidants in wu yi tea can help restore a healthy complexion because they are key in skin cell regeneration and repair of damaged cells. A lovely mug of wu yi tea can also calm your body, mind and spirit and reduce stress. - 17943

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