Question about Pu-erh's heath benefits.

[djtanng]

Does all the stuff I read about pu-erh, like shrinking fat, helping with digestion and lowering cholesterol, refer to sheng (raw) pu-erh or shu (ripe) pu-erh? If I drink a one year old raw pu-erh, am I getting all of the health benefits from it that pu-erh has become known for?

[Evan Draper]

There are no health benefits from puerh. There is a somewhat higher likelihood with drinking sheng that you will die penniless and alone.

[bonescwa]

The only science I've heard on the subject is suppression of fatty acid synthase in the liver of rats, preventing triglyceride and cholesterol synthesis. The catechin, caffeine, and theanine compounds are proposed to be responsible for the effect. Anecdotally, I can tell you that if I'm drinking puerh daily, my appetite is stimulated and I probably eat more and I've heard that from others. I would assume that younger tea may have higher concentrations of the compounds listed above so younger tea would have a larger effect.

[Risdt]

There is no replacement for a well balanced diet regarding to your physical (and mental) health. I personally don't feel any noticeable health benefits from puerh ecept my caffeine fix

It seems there are some published studies on the effect of puerh on lipid metabolism in rats. To list a few:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 4608003282
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... .3247/full
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 675.x/full

I would just suggest to drik what you like and not put too much emphasis on the possible positive health effects. If there are any, good for you. If not, you still had some really good tea to drink

[bonescwa]

Well, you wouldn't exactly "notice" lowered LDL or triglycerides unless you get blood work. I am willing to bet that it might have a modest effect, after all, red yeast rice lead to the first statin.

[Risdt]

That's why I also said I didnt feel any noticeable effects, the studies linked were possible unnoticeable effects. Then again we can discuss the effects of diet on your cholestrol, does it even have any beneficial effects knowing most of cholestrol related problems lie within the liver's production itself. I eat what most people would consider abnormal amounts of eggs, butter and red meat for my sport and never had problems with my cholestrol.
I'm no food scientist but it is a very incoherent(and complex) field with lots misinformation circulating on the web.

[Jingjiatang]

There are no health benefits from puerh. There is a somewhat higher likelihood with drinking sheng that you will die penniless and alone.

+1

[AllanK]

I think there is a digestive benefit to ripe puerh, but that is only my opinion from what I have experienced. It is however, somewhat minor, a tonic to your digestive process, not a cure for any disease. If drinking any tea could really cure disease, half the world would be healthier.

There is some evidence that drinking Puerh will aid in weight loss, aid not cause. Google the videos of Dr Oz on this subject. He did a TV show on it and it has a scientific basis. There are two compounds in Puerh that aid in weight loss, I can't remember their names.

Again, it does not evaporate fat cells and won't help you lose weight if you put a lot of sugar in your tea but there is scientific evidence. I don't know if these two compounds are in both raw and ripe puerh or just in ripe.

Some people trying to sell you Puerh will tell you it cures diseases of all sorts, no evidence of that, period.

[kyarazen]

The only science I've heard on the subject is suppression of fatty acid synthase in the liver of rats, preventing triglyceride and cholesterol synthesis. The catechin, caffeine, and theanine compounds are proposed to be responsible for the effect. Anecdotally, I can tell you that if I'm drinking puerh daily, my appetite is stimulated and I probably eat more and I've heard that from others. I would assume that younger tea may have higher concentrations of the compounds listed above so younger tea would have a larger effect.

there's talk on the effect of tea on nutrient absorption too, which may result in health effects

[chrl42]

Does all the stuff I read about pu-erh, like shrinking fat, helping with digestion and lowering cholesterol, refer to sheng (raw) pu-erh or shu (ripe) pu-erh? If I drink a one year old raw pu-erh, am I getting all of the health benefits from it that pu-erh has become known for?

umm..

I hear Oolong is often related to diet (never looked carefully, I was never really fatty throughout the life)

I assume digestion might be linked with Sheng, young plantation Shengs can really rev up a digestion thing..(on empty stomach it could hurt),

tea in general can lower cholesterol....


Sheng in general is regarded as having more nutrition effects including vitamins, anti-oxidation etc

I haven't known many reported effects from Shu, but personally anytime I get sick, drinking Shu can really heal me

[Tead Off]

I think there is a digestive benefit to ripe puerh, but that is only my opinion from what I have experienced. It is however, somewhat minor, a tonic to your digestive process, not a cure for any disease. If drinking any tea could really cure disease, half the world would be healthier.

If anyone is having digestive difficulty, tea is not a recommended drink, in general. Caffeine and the astringent qualities of tea & coffee can exacerbate digestive problems. No doctor worth his salt would recommend tea or coffee for those who suffer. Plus, I'm sure the amount of tea that many posters drink daily is far above a 'safe' amount aside from those with really strong constitutions. I speak from experience with digestive difficulties. I always laugh when someone tells me Puerh is recommended for those with bad stomachs. Moderation is best and never on an empty stomach.

[ethan]

+1 for sage advice from Teadoff.
I add a conjecture: Many of us who drink too much tea are used to flataulence +/or waking from sleep several times to urinate; ............ we might forget about normal. Or, we might not care. Perhaps some believe these kind of effects as cleansing & thus beneficial. (I don't.)
I drink too much tea but not for physical health.

[PurplePotato]

I like to think of drinking a cup of tea each day as akin to eating a carrot each day. for most people (the occasional person may have some sort of sensitivity to carrots or tea) just as eating a carrot is healthy, so is drinking a cup of tea. However, just as it would be silly to associate a single carrot as having any specific health benefits, it would also be silly to associate tea with having specific health benefits.

What matters, as some others have said, is the whole diet. The whole diet can be expected to have specific health benefits. Both the carrot and the cup of tea are probably helping, but the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

[AllanK]

I like to think of drinking a cup of tea each day as akin to eating a carrot each day. for most people (the occasional person may have some sort of sensitivity to carrots or tea) just as eating a carrot is healthy, so is drinking a cup of tea. However, just as it would be silly to associate a single carrot as having any specific health benefits, it would also be silly to associate tea with having specific health benefits.

What matters, as some others have said, is the whole diet. The whole diet can be expected to have specific health benefits. Both the carrot and the cup of tea are probably helping, but the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

If you can drink only a cup of tea a day you are a stronger willed individual than me.

[BW85]

http://teaguardian.com/tea-health/puer- ... 4V_GRIo4iF

Interesting article, leo discusses a Taiwanese study that suggests some unique things happen to Shu in the post fermentation stage that sheng misses out on. I think it's worth the read. This link is to the second page of the article, which is where I think it gets interesting