Tea is a plant beverage. When you add fresh or dried tea leaves in a cup of hot water, some of the compounds in the leaves are steeped in to the fluid. These combination of water and tea compounds give you a “cup of tea”. Some of the compounds are carried in the air which give you the “tea aroma”. Combine all these and you will have a “tea experience”. Tea beverage hydrates you, quenches your thirst, relaxes your nerves, makes your mind alert, entertains you, challenges your senses. But most importantly, a good tea with proven high polyphenolic content repairs your damaged DNA. The Chinese values the tea drink for its pleasant taste and medicinal effects. Thousands of studies confirm that tea has potential health benefits to humans. All these health claims are attributed to the polyphenols in the tea leaves which have the highest amount in the buds and leaves and get less as you move down the plant. Polyphenols decrease during processing. Tea leaves go through different kinds of processing steps in order to enhance the taste of the leaves as well as make them shelf-stable.

White tea has an advantage in maintaining the most amount of polyphenols s since it is the least processed among all true tea types. Here are some of the benefits of white tea as proven by science:

• Rich in antioxidants

• Reduces the risk of heart disease

• Could aid in losing weight

• Anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory

• May fight cancer - anti-cancer

• Anti-diabetic

• Anti-osteoporosis

• Anti- pre-mature aging

• Anti Alzheimer/anti-Parkinson’s Disease (Neuro-degenerative)

• Enhances skin quality

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References:

MANAGING METABOLIC DISEASES

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/white-tea-benefits

WEIGHT LOSS:

https://www.livestrong.com/article/250854-the-benefits-of-white-tea-versus-green-tea/

ANTI-AGING:

https://www.kingston.ac.uk/news/archive/2009/august/10-White-tea-could-keep-you-healthy-and-young-looking/

ANTI-CANCER

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/antimutagenic-activity-of-green-versus-white-tea/#

Plants do not want to be eaten. Like all living things, they also have their defense mechanism that ensures their species’ development and perpetuation. Unlike animals, plants cannot run away from their predators. They just stand bravely still and let chemistry protect them.

Their defenses are in the form of natural pesticide and toxin compounds that ward off herbivire pests. These abilities of the plants to defend themselves despite their inability to move, made them to be one of the most successful living organisms on earth.

Sometimes these plants compounds can be very toxic, like the ones present in hemlock poison which was used in Ancient Greece to kill prisoners, Socrates was sentenced to death by drinking this plant extract.

There are also plant compounds that are non toxic, but very bitter, sour, or sappy, which help the plant ward off insects and animals. These are the plants that we call “edible”, not necessarily “palatable”. It can be consumed by humans without causing immediate harm to the consumer. In fact, some of the compounds present in plants can be helpful to humans not only for nutrition, but also to heal various human sicknesses.

In China, there are more than 16,000 ancient cultivars of flora that are still being used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

With the advancement in science, people learned to cultivate plants by removing or reducing the compounds that are responsible for their unpleasant taste. It resulted to sapid fruits and vegetable that we know today.

Science experts are now able to observe the bioactivity and bioavailability of phytochemicals and how these plant compounds can help in the preventing, managing and delaying human health disorders. The benefits of tea are attributed to catechins and other active compounds present in the leaves White tea for example is a functional food - it is a beverage, and at the same time can function as an alternative or complementary medicine.

WHITE TEA is the least processed among all true tea types. It is basically just dehydrated buds and leaves using special methods. It is the closest we can get to the real tea plant. It is the least processed among all true tea types and therefore retains the highest amount of polyphenols.

There are 6 types of true teas ( true teas are leaves derived from Camellia sinensis, the tea plant) and they are classified according to the process that makes them.

The 6 types of teas are WHITE, GREEN, YELLOW, WHITE, OOLONG, BLACK, FERMENTED

White tea is not rare but can be difficult to obtain and store since it is more delicate than other tea types because of its delicate processing.

Although it was first crafted in Fujian Province, there is no such thing as "original white tea" . If the tea buds and leaves undergo withering and then drying, it will be classified as white tea! Afterall, teas are classified according to the process that makes them.