View Full Version : White tea VS. other teas?

04-12-2003, 02:44 AM
Has anyone tried white tea? I hear "It mellows you out, relaxes you, and then you just drift off to sleep"

found this article on it...




Rats were given white tea (tea was brewed for 5 min, using 2g/100ml hot water) in the drinking water for up to 8 weeks. A second group was given the equivalent amount of caffeine alone. In weeks 3 and 4, animals were given a carcinogen from cooked meat ("PhIP"). After 2 weeks of treatment, and prior to PhIP dosing, enzyme changes were detected in the liver, white tea being slightly more effective in this regard than caffeine alone. Overall, the altered enzyme profiles, and profiles of metabolites excreted in the urine, suggested that the carcinogen was more rapidly metabolized and detoxified. At the end of the study, rats given white tea had significantly fewer PhIP-induced pre-cancerous lesions in the colon (called aberrant crypt foci, or ACF). However, rats given caffeine alone also had fewer ACF.

These data are highly preliminary, and cannot be extrapolated to human cancer prevention or treatment. They indicate that white tea, like other forms of tea, can block the DNA damage caused by some compounds using a test tube assay with bacteria as indicator organisms. The animal studies scored pre-cancerous changes in the colon, not actual tumors, and raised the possibility that any potential extra 'benefit' from white tea (versus other teas) might simply be related to higher caffeine levels. Finally, animal studies in which inhibition of colon tumor formation has been demonstrated cannot be simply extrapolated to protection in people. LPI researchers are now planning further studies with white tea in animal models (rats, mice, trout), and in a pilot human trial.

Footnote: If you are interested in white tea, which is considerably more expensive than green or other teas, the following sources can be contacted:

Stash Tea Company, Tigard, OR, 1-800-826-4218, www.stashtea.com (http://www.stashtea.com)
SpecialTeas Inc., Norwalk, CT, 1-888-365-6983, www.specialteas.com (http://www.specialteas.com)
Hugos Tea, West Hollywood, CA, 1-800-964-4832, www.yogiteaz.com (http://www.yogiteaz.com)
Tea &amp; Company, San Francisco, CA, 1-888-832-4884, www.teaandcompany.com (http://www.teaandcompany.com)
Nichols Garden Nursery, Albany, OR, 541-928-9280, www.nicholsgardennursery.com (http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com)

04-12-2003, 08:00 AM
So this means caffeine is good. RIGHT!!!!