The Ancient Chinese Secret of Silver Tip White Tea
It may not help you reach immortality, but there is science behind the legend of its anti-aging properties.
Talk to any tea expert, and you’ll soon discover that there’s at least one specific tea for every mood, every ailment, and every life challenge. When it comes to staying young, silver tip white tea is the one the experts mention most. A product of the Fuding region of China’s Fujian province since 1796, it has always been regarded as rare, elegant, especially aromatic, and, legend has it, as a secret elixir for achieving immortality.
Why it’s white
White tea comes from the same plants that green tea does, but it’s collected very early in spring from only the tips of the branches, where the leaves are especially fresh. The leaves are covered in a soft fuzzy white down (hence the name), and they contain a high concentration of polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants. Because the tea is processed less than other types, it retains its antioxidants more completely, and because it doesn’t endure the oxidation steps that green and black teas go through, its flavor is especially light and delicate.
What it does
It’s all those antioxidants that give silver tip white tea its glowing reputation as an anti-aging secret. Everyone knows their benefits: they block carcinogens, filter ultraviolet radiation, strengthen the immune system, build up blood vessels, and help slow down the overall aging process. All tea has some antioxidant power, and green tea has been building its reputation as a health tonic in recent years. Of all teas, however, it’s the younger and lighter white tea has the least caffeine, another factor that makes it enjoyable to drink.
Where to get it
Now that the white tea secret is out, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that cosmetics companies are providing ways for you to put it on your face. Origins, for example, sells an entire line of Perfect World White Tea skin products (http://www.origins.com/templates/products/search_results.tmpl?KEYWORDS=white+tea) at affordable prices, claiming they “help banish youth offenders long before they cause visible signs of oxidation, deterioration, and dehydration.” As for the tea itself, it’s readily available from specialty tea shops or at online tea stores. Take a sip, and see if it gives you a healthy boost.
Buy silver tip white tea online:
White Tiger Tea.com
http://www.whitetigertea.com/silver-tip-white-tea.htm
Special Teas
http://www.specialteas.com/China+White+Tea/cid=57/category.html
The Republic of Tea
http://www.republicoftea.com/templates/detail.asp?navID=52
