Have you ever noticed there is a solution in nature to almost anything?
Aloe vera applied to skin soothes burns and heals wounds.
Inhaling lavender calms nerves.
Walking along the ocean shore restores the soul.
Nature has been divinely created to meet so many of our needs.
And white tea is no exception.
What is white tea, anyway?
White tea is not a cup of Tetley with milk.
White tea is the least processed of all tea varieties. It comes from the same plant as black tea, green tea, oolong tea (camellia sinensis).
The leaves are simply plucked and laid out in a breezy room where the leaves dry as nature allows.
That's it.
Two things you'll love about white tea
1. White tea makes you feel happy
I came across this benefit quite unintentionally.
Just before we first started Tielka in 2009. I noticed this unusual sense of well-being and calm that popped up seemingly randomly across my week.
After the seventh or eight occasion, my curiosity piqued and I started to analyse the commonality of each occurrence.
I realised I had recently started drinking white tea a lot. We had a large sample of the most beautiful white tea variety and I really liked the flavour. That was all.
I realised this strange sense the world was a better place kicked in around half an hour or so after finishing a cup.
After a little research, I discovered that white tea has unusually high levels of an amino acid called "theanine". It increases dopamine in the brain and creates a sense of well-being, or happiness.
My mind was blown. Tea happiness was actually a thing.
2. White tea helps improve skin elasticity
I feel like I would have to be around 70 years old with 40 years of white-tea-drinking before I can come up with a good testimonial on this one, but you'd have to wait around 30 years to get the story, so let's go with the research instead:
Collagen and elastin.
You know these word well.
Collagen is a protein that's found in connective tissue which supports both skin strength and elasticity. Elastin is another structural protein found in the skin which also maintains skin elasticity while aiding in wound repair.
When these two blessed creatures break down, age-related wrinkles and saggy skin starts to form. Nice.
Researchers have found that white tea helps to prevent this break down, which could mean stronger, suppler skin!
Woot woot!
I'm thinking I just might have to increase my own personal white tea consumption a little!
So if you're feeling a little saggy and sad, maybe it's time to allow nature to step in and gift you a cup of beautiful white tea.
Indulge in life.