“Wuyi” is the original name for this tea that was farmed approximately 500 years ago in the Wuyi Mountains of Fiji. Since that time, all wuyi oolong comes from either mainland China or Twaiwan. After this was introduced a few years ago on Oprah and other shows, people began calling it just “Wulong Tea.”

These tea bushes are from a type of bush called Camellia Sinensis. When it is time for harvest/picking, they are put through a natural fermentation process, which is responsible for the unique taste and aroma.

One of the things that has made this tea popular is that it has the qualities of both green tea and black tea. In fact, that is one of the reasons I enjoy this tea over a straight green tea.

What Are The Health Benefits?

Wu Yi Oolong Tea is best known for it’s antioxidant properties. This comes from something called Polyphenol that occurs naturally within the tea plant. There has been many publications on the benefits of green tea and antioxidants, helping to fight free radicals and for its “anti-aging” benefits. Wuyi has different Polyphenals – Catechins, ECCG, Thearubigin and Theaflavin. It is said that a typical cup of this tea will have between 20-40 mg, which is significantly more than most veggies we eat.

Equally as significant is the weight loss properties of Wulong. It can act like a natural appetite suppressant, and has also been documented as a pre-meal drink because of a “fat inhibitor” process of calories and carbohydrates. In addition, it boosts one’s metabolism and increases energy, to help burn fat.

Two other health benefits that have been documented is that it helps with vitamin and mineral absorption in your body, and it can help with skin complexion, and clearing skin. The Journal of American Dermitology has documented this.

WuYi Weight Loss

A few years ago WuYi Oolong tea made national headlines because of it’s weight loss properties. Some of this was mentioned earlier, but I wanted to expand upon that. In 2003 study there was a study in the Journal of Medical Investigation. It was a research done upon the metabolism of 120 Japanese women. They were divided into 3 groups to see the effects of water, green tea, and Wuyi tea. The conclusion of the study showed that the group of Japanese women who drank wu yi tea had a greater percentage of weight loss due to an increase in energy of 10% The green tea group was 4%, and the water was 0%. These women were assigned to drink their beverage directly following a meal over a 6-week period.

No government agency is ever going to come out and approve a tea as a weight loss aid. However, it stands to reason that given the health benefits of wu yi oolong, that it is a preferred choice as a beverage over many other types of beverages before, during, or after a meal.

Some people may not agree with me, and especially the “pure” tea drinkers, but I enjoy wuyi oolong tea cold. I grew up drinking a lot of soda and other cold beverages. When I am driving near Whole Foods, I usually pop in an buy a few bottles of cold wulong tea. It tastes wonderful, and it is a great alternative to something sugary.