Women in Asia seem to have more beautiful, flawless skin well beyond their youthful years. It seems as though time stood still and allowed them to maintain this gorgeous look for many years. What do you suppose their secret is? Could it be 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.
We should all strive for a better diet full of fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean proteins; however, we cannot do much to escape environmental toxins from industrial facilities, car exhaust and chemicals. This is where oolong tea can help fight the damage, prevent premature aging and improve the youthful appearance of your skin!
All tea is from a plant called Camellia Sinensis. The difference among different teas is due to when the leaves are harvested and the fermentation process that they undergo afterwards.
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.
A man named Wu Liang is behind oolong tea. He was picking tea leaves to make green tea when he a deer came out from the trees. He left the tealeaves to hunt the deer.
He returned a few days later and found the tea leaves partially oxidized by the sun. He proceeded to prepare the tea anyway and found that this oxidation process had made the tea more delicate than green tea. It no longer had a bitter grassy taste!
Oolong tea, green tea and white tea are the most beneficial teas to fight the signs of aging, but oolong tea has a nicer flavor because of the semi-fermentation process. Tea is capable of fighting aging and restoring more youthful skin due to its phytochemicals, which is a fancy name for antioxidants.
At the heart of aging lie free radicals. We are exposed to free radicals on a daily basis through UV rays and all of the chemicals and pollutants previously mentioned. Free radical molecules damage our skin (and all tissue) at the cellular level.
Free radicals alter genetic material and destroy cellular membranes. It becomes harder to fight free radicals as we age and repair the damage. We also stop producing as many replacement cells as we could when we were younger.
This has many affects on the body such as decreased cardiovascular health. In terms of our skin health, this is exactly why we end up with wrinkled, sagging, fragile skin.
The antioxidants in oolong tea can fight free radicals by stopping the oxidation process that takes place when free radicals steal the electron from healthy molecules in our bodies. Antioxidants are also imperative for repairing the damage already incurred and regenerating cells. Drinking oolong tea on a daily basis can improve you skin health. Healthy skin is beautiful skin!
Oolong tea is available in many forms, but wu yi is one of the best tasting at a moderate price.
