Pu Erh (pronounced POO-ar) tea is an aged, fermented tea variety from the Pu Erh region in China. It is highly prized in Chinese culture, and is often called The King of Teas by experts. It’s easy to see why, as it has health benefits that are far-reaching, including:
- providing increased hydration
- helping reduce stress levels
- improving digestion
We were really excited to learn about all the great reasons to drink Pu Erh tea, and wanted to put these health claims to the test. So, one of our team members decided to drink 4 cups of the Original 6 Mountains Pu Erh Tea every day for one month.
Her results were noticeable and promising:
Preparation: This was my first time drinking Pu Erh tea, and at first I was unsure about the flavour, but it quickly grew on me, and now I love it! I always drank the tea black and steeped it for 5 minutes. Traditional preparations call for a rinsing of the leaves in hot water (which is then discarded), prior to steeping them. Generally speaking, the higher the temperature of the water, the stronger your Pu Erh tea brew will become. Some people enjoy adding honey as a natural way to sweeten their tea.
Claim 1 – Hydration: I noticed my overall hydration improved after about four days, and only got better throughout the month. I’ve always felt very thirsty upon waking in the morning and often throughout the day, especially after a cup of coffee. After drinking the tea regularly I noticed this thirsty feeling almost completely disappeared. I felt more hydrated for my morning workouts too, which was great; being less hydrated in the morning has regularly been a cause of headaches for me.
Claim 2 – Calming Effects: Pu Erh tea is high in Theanine, which contributes to the tea’s relaxing properties. After a few days, I began to notice these calming effects. I felt more relaxed throughout the day and found my energy levels did not dip as they usually do.
Claim 3 – Improved Digestion: I’ve had trouble with digestion for a few years so I was excited to see if this claim would pan out. After about a week, I noticed my digestion improved significantly. The Pu Erh tea also reduced bloating. In my experience, it keeps you regular and is much better for you than coffee!
Ritual: Preparing the tea throughout the day became a relaxing ritual for me, and helped break up my day at work. I decided to use the tea preparation time as a quick break from sitting at my desk, becoming more aware of my body, and I got into the habit of stretching while waiting for the water to boil. Mind, body, soul! 🙂
The SocialNature team was really happy to hear that drinking Pu Erh tea gave such great results in a really short time.
In addition to the above benefits, Pu Erh tea can also aid in weight loss, help lower cholesterol, and contribute to a healthy heart. It’s high antioxidant content makes it a useful anti-cancer agent.
If you want to experiment with Pu Erh tea in the same way we did, using the tea tablets from 6 Mountains is ideal, as you can steep each tablet up to 4 times (enough for one day’s worth of tea).
Have you tried Pu Erh tea before? What results did you notice?