A medical study conducted in Taiwan indicates that pu-ehr tea may have a role in preventing damage to the liver caused by oxidative stress.
Researchers induced oxidative damage in rat livers both in vitro and in vivo, then treated them with water extract of puer tea to measure the effect. They found that the puer extract lowered levels of harmful proteins in the blood and preventing damage caused by certain free radicals.
"Taken together, these results demonstrate that water extract of puer tea is able to protect against hepatic damage in vitro and in vivo, suggestion that the drinking of puer tea may protect liver tissue from oxidative damage," the team concluded.
The research took place at the department of food science and technology at Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science in Tainan Hsien, Taiwan. Results will be published in a upcoming issue of Food Chemistry, but an abstract is available online now.
In addition to the results of this recent study, pu-ehr has other noted health benefits, including:
- contains vitamin B1, B2, C and E and β Carotene
- good for preventing high blood pressure, cancer and constipation
- reduces cholesterol
- good for ladies who always have cold legs and hands
- increases metabolic rate
If you've never tried pu-ehr, Steeped offers a nicely flavoured one - Toffee Caramel Pu-Ehr, which is a gentle introduction to this distinctly flavoured tea.
