Saturday, February 28, 2009

Is Oolong the Secret Behind Youthful Skin?

By Caitlin Ryan

Asian women tend to have beautiful, flawless skin for many years. Aging seems to be on hold in many Asian regions. How do they achieve this? Would you not love to know about their many secrets such as oolong tea?

There are a plethora of reasons behind their youthful appearance. They tend to live more cleanly than we do in the Western world consuming cleaner diets and being exposed to less environmental toxins.

Though we should all eat plenty of veggies, fruits, lean proteins and whole greens, we can fight some of the environmental damage (industrial chemicals, car exhaust etc.) to our skin through oolong tea. The oolong tea that many Asian women drink can fight premature aging, repair damage and create more youthful skin!

Real tea is all derived from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis. The differences in tea varietals stem from when the leaves are picked and how they are treated afterwards (fermentation).

Fermenting is the oxidation process that turns the leaves a darker shade. Whether tealeaves are fermented or not and for what length of time lends to the different flavors, aromas and coloring of the tea. Black tea is fermented the most whereas green tea is not fermented at all. Oolong tea is in between and has an interesting background.

Wu Liang was picking tea leaves when a deer interrupted him. He left to hunt the deer and the picked tea leaves were abandoned in the sun. They began to ferment.

A few days later, Wu Liang returned and found that his tea leaves had darkened (oxidized) in the sun. Not wanting to waste the leaves, he prepared them for tea regardless of the oxidation that had taken place. To his amazement, the tea tasted much better than the grassy, green tea he previously made.

Among the most beneficial teas in fighting aging is oolong, green and white teas. Oolong tea has the nicest flavor. The antioxidants or phytochemicals in oolong tea are what give it remarkable age-fighting powers.

UV rays, chemicals and pollutants amongst others produce free radicals in our bodies. These are the source of premature aging because of the effect they have at the cellular level.

They destroy cellular membranes and alter genetic material. As we age, it becomes more and more difficult to fight free radicals and repair the damage. As well, we stop regenerating cells as much as we did when we were younger.

Not only does this process affect our overall health, but it also damages our skin. We wind up with wrinkles and sagging skin. Our skin becomes more fragile.

Free radicals take electrons from healthy molecules in a process called oxidation. Antioxidants stop this process. Involved in repair and regeneration, antioxidants in oolong tea can slow premature aging, and restore the health and appearance of your skin! Youthful skin is healthy skin!

Oolong tea is available in many forms, but wu yi is one of the best tasting at a moderate price. - 16004

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