White Tea is Healthier Than Green?

[Strat54]

White Tea is Healthier Than Green?

Studies have shown that green tea stimulates the immune system to fight disease, but white tea is even better for you? Apparently so.

A study presented last year at the American Society for Microbiology general meeting in New Orleans showed that White Tea Extract can actually destroy in vitro the organisms that cause disease. Some studies have also shown that white tea contains more active cancer-fighting antioxidants than green tea.

I gather this isn't new news. I searched a little further and found a study done Oregon State Univ back in May 2000 that showed that white tea has enhanced cancer-fighting potential, more beneficial to certain kinds of cancer, like prostrate cancer for instance, than green tea.

But I was kind of surprised. I've never heard of white tea. According to about.com:

"Just like those other teas, white tea come from the Camellia sinensis plant. But the leaves are picked and harvested before the leaves open fully, when the buds are still covered by fine white hair. Hence the name."

White tea has undergone very little processing and no fermentation, compared to green, black and oolong teas. The OSU folks say that's the key.

"Many of the more potent tea polyphenols ('catechins') become oxidized or destroyed as green tea is further processed into oolong and black teas," says Roderick H. Dashwood, Ph.D., a biochemist in the university’s Linus Pauling Institute and principal investigator of the study. "Our theory was that white tea might have equivalent or higher levels of these polyphenols than green tea, and thus be more beneficial."

Sounds great. That's a very good thing. Unfortunately, white tea is pretty rare, and therefore pretty expensive and hard to find. Also unfortunately (to me), there is also considerably less caffeine in white tea than the other varieties (15mg per serving, compared to 40mg for black tea, and 20mg for green, according to about.com). That's bad for an old caffeine cat like me. (And maybe explains why it's not more widely touted.)

From here:http://coffeeworks.blogs.com/coffee_and_tea/2005/03/white_tea_is_he.html

I‘ve tried white tea and IMO it tastes much better than green tea.
The problem is to get the White Tea Extract (I’ve found it but mixed with green tea)

 

[logia]

I know for sure that white-tea works as stronger antioxidants and maybe is better for overall health.
However in male pattern baldness issues im not sure how white stands vs. green.

 

[sublime]

I have this feeling white tea is stronger than green tea but most of the studies pertain to green tea only.

 

[Bertie]

The much-maligned Nioxin shampoo used to have White Tea Extract as its featured ingredient. I don't know whether it still does; I think that the product lineup has changed. I have a huge bottle of it that someone concerned about my hair loss gave me over a year ago and which I still use on Nizoral off-days, even though I know that it probably does nothing.

Oddly, a while back I tried to switch my Nizoral off-day shampoo from Nioxin to Head and Shoulders, which at least has a few small studies showing an increased hair count on men using it (no control group in those studies, though), and was rewared with increased shedding that lasted a few weeks. I retreated back to Nioxin, science be damned, and eventually the shedding returned to the low state that it had been at ever since I started finasteride. Oh well.

 

[tchehov]

Surely we should all be avoiding supplements which boost the immune system? I think College is going so far as to take an immuno-suppressant.

 

[CCS]

it is a topical immuno suppressent, with local effects, and I'm not going to use a lot. Just going to slow it down a bit around the pores.

as for the teas, white tea is expensive enough that the same price of grean tea will probably do about as good. I'd recommend a cup of white and 4 of grean per day. Buy the tea in bulk. Very cheap.

 

[The Gardener]

The only down side of white tea is that I found the taste to be awful.

I suppose it is an aquired taste? Now that I think about it, when I first started green tea I didn't particularly care for the taste, but now, with a dab of honey and a squirt of lemon, I enjoy it very much.

 

[Guest]

The only down side of white tea is that I found the taste to be awful.

I suppose it is an aquired taste? Now that I think about it, when I first started green tea I didn't particularly care for the taste, but now, with a dab of honey and a squirt of lemon, I enjoy it very much.

You think so?! White Tea has a very mild/sweet taste that most find better tasting than the spinachy green tea.

You are supposed to steep white tea with 180*F degree water too, NOT boiling. That could be why you don't like the taste. If you get boiling water and let it cool down for ~5 mins that should be close to 180*F.

 

[CCS]

GTE is cheaper and easier. But if you have a bunch of bags and a hot faucet, you might was well hydrate yourself with tea.

 

[Sean68]

white tea just doesnt have that same feeling of doing you good that green tea has. it is quite relaxing to drink - i think monks used to use it
to help them meditate (thats what it says on my box anyway) but i like
the way you can literally feel the green tea cleaning your system out. its actually made me hurl a few times after a heavy night out.

 

[roki]

i read that the benefits of green tea are shadowed by the caffine in it and that its better not to drink more then 1 cup ,what do you think?

 

[Strange Days]

I just got some white tea today, I much prefer it to green tea. To me green tea tastes like black tea that's been stewed too long.

If you're in the UK you can get Clipper organic white tea with peppermint, orange, blackcurrant, cinnamon or vanilla.

 

[Guest]

GTE is cheaper and easier. But if you have a bunch of bags and a hot faucet, you might was well hydrate yourself with tea.

That's right, but I believe you would be losing some of the polyphenols you'd get from the fresh tea rather than simply popping a pill.

The bottom line is to drink whichever tea you LIKE the best because they are all from the same plant (camellia sinensis) and re all very healthy. Yes BLACK tea doesn't have EGCG but when it's fermented this gets converted into 2 other antioxidants which have their own health benefits as well.

I like White Tea the best of those, and actually Rooibos probably has the best taste. As a "purist" (became that way initially to eliminate sugar calories) Rooibos actually tastes the best. This is a totally different plant and has a completely different set of antioxidants with their own health benefits as well. To get a good range I will drink them all!!

The key to white/green tea though, that most people don't seem to know, is that you are suppose to steep this with about 180 degree water. If you use boiling water it tastes spinachy. Simple way to get it at the right temperature is to let it cool down at least 5 minutes after it starts boiling.

Again, White/Green/Black/Rooibos, drink any and all of'm!! Whatever taste suits you best. For some really GOOD quality tea try http://www.adagio.com