“Drink your tea slowly and reverently as if it is the axis on which the earth revolves slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

One of the main benefits of oolong tea is that it is calming and grounding.

Naturally, we sip it with more mindfulness and sensitivity than other stimulants such as coffee or energy drinks. It has been associated with states of calm, focus and reflection.

Drinking tea is an amazing practice because it feeds both the body and the soul. In my opinion, tea is one of the most potent nootropics—i.e., smart drugs or cognitive enhancers.

Tea has the longest history of human consumption.

High‑quality mountain oolong tea is a rich source of L‑theanine. The benefits of L‑theanine include increasing brain dopamine levels while also increasing alpha wave generation in the brain. L-theanine also has a gentle cleansing effect.

Drinking oolong tea (from the high mountains) on a regular basis helps to support continuous detoxifying effects throughout the body. It facilitates the processing and elimination of metabolic wastes and toxic byproducts. Many studies suggest its use for weight loss and anti-obesity.

In addition to detoxifying, it is also nourishing. High-quality mountain oolong tea contains a significant amount of chlorophyll, essential minerals, trace elements and vitamins A, C and E. This, combined with tea’s potent antioxidant properties, produces a truly alchemical health‑support elixir.

High-quality mountain oolong also contains EGCG. EGCG is a unique flavonoid that favorably alters pathways underlying many pathological processes. All of this points to tea as a broad‑spectrum nutrient that may promote long life. There is further evidence in the fact that tea is consumed routinely in Asian populations, who have greater longevity and lower mortality rates for diseases that are prevalent in our western society.

Tea is also a potent adaptogen. An adaptogen is a substance that is considered to help the body adapt to stress and to exert a normalizing effect upon bodily processes. Many herbalists believe that the harder a plant has to work to adapt and survive—the more beneficial and adaptogenic its effects will be.

High mountain oolong proves its ruggedness by growing in higher (than most) elevations. It is hand-picked by masters of tea who have been studying this art for many generations. When we sip good, high quality tea, we are brought into the realm of its life and lineage—there is an alchemy that occurs which it both potent and magic.

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Editor: Emily Bartran

Photo: Bird Eye/Flickr