3 Types Of Chinese Weight Loss Tea You Should Try

By on May 25, 2012
3 types of chinese weight loss tea

For centuries now, tea has been cultivated and grown in many parts of the world. People from India to China to Japan have all enjoyed tea and it has become an integral part of their everyday lives, and more importantly, their culture. Because tea has always been such a staple in many cultures, it was only really just a matter of time before it spread out to other societies who didn’t consume tea. Eventually, more and more learned to appreciate and love tea and understand the different benefits that they can get from this miracle drink.

Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world today, second only to water. This popularity and widespread love for tea may be due to the fact that over the years and years of study, tea has proven to carry several health benefits. The benefits of tea vary depending on the type of tea but one of the most popular benefits that people nowadays seek from tea is its ability to aid in weight loss.

Weight loss with tea isn’t a new thing and teas have been consumed for decades with the goal of attaining better weight loss. One of the most consumed types of these in the world is Chinese weight loss teas. These teas come in different varieties: green, black, and oolong and each one differs from the other and carries its own set of benefits.

Black Tea


In the Western countries, black tea is the most widely consumed variety of tea. This type of tea is produced by drying and then fermenting the leaves of a camella sinensis bush in order to achieve a rich, black color. According to the Osaka Health Institute, studies on this type of Chinese herbal tea for weight loss have shown that it aids in the improvement of glucose metabolism in the body, or in other word, how our body uses sugar. In relation to this, it may also help in improving treatments for type 2 diabetic individuals; as glucose is better utilized and managed, it helps in maintaining the weight of diabetic patients, as the disease is highly associated with weight gain.

Green Tea

Another very popular variety of tea is Chinese green tea for weight loss. In green tea, leaves of the plant are dried but not fermented, allowing the leaves to retain high levels of the chemical compound epigallocatechin gallate or ECGC. This compound, as studies have shown, aids in weight loss by increasing energy expenditure or the amount of calories burned within a day. Aside from this, ECGC also helps increase the pace of your body’s fat oxidation, or the body’s use of fat. When these two are combined, they work to assist in faster, more efficient weight loss. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average cup of green tea will contain about 180mg or ECGC.

Oolong Tea

Oolong can be called somewhat of a “hybrid”, as it combines the qualities of both green and black teas. According to the Tea Association of the USA, since the leaves of oolong tea are only partially oxidized it is the middle ground between green and black teas and carries benefits such as improving heart conditions, alleviating inflammatory disorders, promoting good bone structure, and of course, increasing fat metabolism which aids in weight loss. Oolong activates certain enzymes that help enhance fat cell function in body, therefore creating weight loss by burning of fat cells rather than muscles.

Other Facts on Weight Loss Teas

Of course, as with anything else, the intake of tea should be taken in moderation and never in excess. However, as tea also contains caffeine, taking it in large amounts may create caffeine toxicity, which is a very difficult situation. Taking it in large amount also when one is pregnant or lactating may also pose some health risks, although these have not yet been fully identified or established.

If you are looking for the best Chinese tea for weight loss, know that there isn’t a specific kind that is the “best”. All teas come from the same plant – camella sinensis – and the difference is really all in the manner of how they are processed. If you’re drinking tea to lose weight, just go for something that you really like (in terms of taste) and you’ll get those benefits that you are looking for.

About Sara

Sara is head writer and editor for TimeForTheNewYou.com. She's a health enthusiast and has been writing about health and weight loss related issues for more than 4 years. She's also the mother of a beautiful boy named Sam.

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