For those who don’t know yet, drinking yellow tea is an excellent way to give yourself a healthy boost in a rare and delicious way.
What is Yellow Tea?
Yellow tea, with a unique taste, is a specialized type of tea that is made exclusively in China and is closely related to green and black tea, in terms of preparation and flavor. The preparation process for these tea leaves is similar to green tea, except the leaves are allowed to oxidize further, which can give them more of a yellow appearance and a slightly more mellow flavor. This type of tea is also known as Hwang cha in Korea and huángchá in China but is also known as Sichuan tea, based on where it is sometimes produced.
Yellow tea is a rare tea that can be found mainly in China. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The tea leaves are allowed to sit in the air to oxidize, then they are fried to stop the oxidation process before being wrapped in a special material for 2-3 days, then roasted. The resultant leaves have a yellow-brown color and can be brewed to make yellow tea. This type of tea is becoming increasingly rare and expensive, despite the fact that some believe it is healthier than green tea. Many of the same active ingredients are present as are found in green tea, such as caffeine, catechins, and other antioxidants. [1]
Benefits of Yellow Tea
The many benefits of yellow tea include weight loss, skincare, increasing appetite, detoxifying the body, protecting the heart, and regulating digestion, among others.
Skin Care
Possessing many of the same antioxidants as green tea, yellow tea is an excellent way to prevent the signs of aging, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, age spots, blemishes, and scars. [2]
Weight Loss
Anecdotal evidence points to this tea being a great dietary aid, given its metabolism-stimulating properties. This means more passive fat-burning and a body more capable of regulating weight, particularly on a diet. [3]
Aids in Digestion
The anti-inflammatory properties of this tea can help to reduce bowel disorders and regulate your bowel movements, preventing symptoms of both diarrhea and constipation. [4]
Detoxifies the Body
As a liver stimulant, this tea can speed up the process by which you release toxins from the body, helping to reduce the metabolic load. [5]
Regulates Diabetes
The catechins and antioxidants in this tea are known to help normalize the body’s release of glucose and insulin, which is good news for those living with diabetes or at risk of the disease. [6]
Protects Heart Health
Reducing plaque deposition and lowering your risk of atherosclerosis can help to prevent heart attacks and strokes, as well as coronary heart disease. [7]
Anticancer Potential
Dr. Yogeshwar Shukla, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, India, published a study in the Tea and Cancer Chemoprevention Journal, on a Comprehensive Review of Tea and Cancer Chemoprevention. In the report, he states that epigallocatechin, flavonol and polyphenolic compounds found in yellow tea are well known to be anti-carcinogenic and can greatly reduce one’s risk of developing cancer as you age. These antioxidants are likely to neutralize the free radicals in the body that can damage the cells and cause cancer. [8]
How to Make Yellow Tea?
Making yellow tea is quite time-consuming and it is a delicate process, so most people leave the preparation of the leaves to the producers in China. However, once you acquire some dry yellow tea leaves, making it at home is quite simple.
Yellow Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 grams of dried yellow tea
- 2 cups of water (filtered)
- 1 tbsp of honey
Instructions
- To make yellow tea, add 5 grams of dried yellow tea to a glass.
- Boil 2 cups of water in a kettle.
- Add the hot water to the glass, about halfway up. Steep for 3-5 minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon of honey and then strain into a teacup.
Word of Caution: Due to the potent nature of this tea’s active ingredients, there are some side effects, such as elevated blood pressure, anxiety, and nervousness, as well as gastrointestinal distress and glaucoma.
As with any other variety of tea that contains caffeine, an excessive amount of this tea will increase stress hormones and blood pressure, which can lead to nervousness and may worsen anxiety disorders. Too much of this tea is also known to stimulate diarrhea and stomach upset. Studies have found that drinking too much yellow tea may increase your risk of glaucoma, although this research needs to be corroborated.
