What does pu-erh tea do to your body?

There are numerous benefits to drinking tea. Here, we are going to focus on Pu-erh tea health benefits, and explain why this drink is a winter-time must-have.

The Origin of Pu-erh

Pu-erh, also written as Puerh, is a dark green tea that originated in China’s Yunnan province during the Han Dynasty. Through traders and travel, this tea spread across the country. As it spread to different provinces, people learned quickly that it had many health benefits. Its affordability made it a great trading tool and household amenity.

How Pu-erh Tea is Made

Puerh is processed from the fresh leaves of a superior “large leaf” variety of Camellia Sinensis and it experiences a unique natural post-fermentation process. When steeped, this tea exhibits a dark reddish infusion with a strong earthy scent with an aged essence and sweet undertones. It has a special ripened aroma and a sweet mellow aftertaste that improves with age. Pu-erh tea is like fine wine. It is one of the only teas that you want to be aged as it becomes better and more valuable with age. In fact, Pu-erh tea from prized trees can be sold for thousands of dollars! At Storehouse Tea, our Puerh tea is 7 years old.

Pu-erh Tea Benefits & Effects

Pu-erh tea became popular because of its many health benefits. Puerh is a fermented tea that aids in digestion and is loaded with polyphenols, it cleanses toxins and free radicals. In addition, Pu-erh tea health benefits include improving heart health because it contains statins that lower cholesterol. Puerh also contains a very diverse makeup of bacteria to support gut health. Puerh protects the nervous system, and it is beneficial for brain health. Thanks to the caffeine in Pu-erh tea, drinking a cup a day can help to increase your energy levels and focus as well as aid in weight loss. The best time to drink a cup of Pu-erh tea for weight loss goals is one hour after a meal so that the Pu-erh tea can remove excess grease and help your body eliminate unwanted hard-to-digest fats.

Shop Our Pu-erh Tea Collection

Our Pu-erh tea collection contains a variety of healthy, delicious Puerh Teas. We offer Pu-erh organic green tea, Ginger Pu-erh tea, and Puerh Tumeric green tea in sizes ranging from sample to large. Try our Pu-erh tea today!

Pu-erh tea, pronounced poo-air comes from the Camellia sinensis plant and boasts many important health benefits. Pu-erh tea is cultivated exclusively in the Yunnan province of China and derives its name from the Pu-Erh county in which it is grown.

Taste

Pu-erh tea comes in green and black varieties and has a smooth taste. The leaves offer a mildly sweet flavor and brewed leaves emit the aroma of autumn leaves. These teas can also appear darker than black teas and have a more full-bodied flavor and aroma. Pu-erh tea is caffeinated and is often consumed in the morning or early afternoon to increase energy levels.

Fermentation

The tea leaves undergo a two-part fermentation process using Yunnan green tea leaves and a humid environment. This fermentation process allows beneficial bacteria and fungal bacteria to develop, resulting in the tea's health benefits. After the tea leaves are aged and fermented, they are packed into bricks or sold as loose leaf teas.

Health Benefits

Increases Energy

Pu-erh tea helps increase energy levels and focus with 60-70 milligrams of caffeine in a standard cup compared to the 105 milligrams in a standard cup of coffee. Setting aside a few moments to drink a cup of pu-erh can help you relax and focus before getting back to work energized.

Promotes a Healthy Heart

Drinking just one cup of pu-erh tea a day can help you lower your risk of heart disease. Pu-erh aids in preventing heart disease because it helps product lovastatin which is a natural status commonly used to treat high cholesterol. A Chinese study shows that pu-erh tea can help to reduce bad cholesterol, also known as LDL cholesterol, and prevent obesity-related diseases.

Cleanses Toxins and Free Radicals

Pu-erh tea uses its oxidative properties to deliver increased levels of oxygen, which enhances circulation and blood flow. By delivering more oxygen to the brain, pu-erh tea can help combat headaches and migraines and reduces free radicals that can cause serious illnesses.

Prevents Cancer

Scientists believe the oxidized tea polyphenols are the reason behind pu-erh tea's potential use in preventing or treating certain types of cancer. These polyphenols work to eliminate free radicals and help to stop the production of irregular cells. As with any new treatment, it's important to discuss your options with a doctor before committing to any plan.

Protects Bone Health

Studies on animals have shown that the polyphenols in tea can help to develop higher bone mass and greater bone strength. These polyphenols also contain antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties that help to minimize pain and discomfort.

Aids in Weight Loss

Pu-erh tea improves digestion and can help relieve symptoms of constipation thanks to the existence of lovastatin in these tea leaves. The antioxidants and polyphenols in pu-erh teas also aid in digestion and fat breakdown.

Reduces Stress

While pu-erh tea contains caffeine, that doesn't mean it'll make you wired or jittery. In fact, pu-erh tea can help to reduce stress and its inflammatory properties aid in relaxation when experiencing minor aches and pains.

Prevents Illness

Since pu-erh tea is high in antioxidants and vitamin C, drinking a cup of this brew every day can help prevent illnesses such as the common cold and flu. Pu-erh tea is fermented, meaning it has higher concentrations of these antioxidants than non-fermented teas. Since pu-erh tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, it also has more antioxidants and disease-fighting catechins than herbal teas.

1. Home
2. Diet & Nutrition
3. Nutrition

Pu-erh tea (pronounced POO-air) is the most oxidized form of tea, often aged, and sometimes very expensive. Unlike other teas, which get stale over time, pu-erh can mellow and improve with age like fine wine. Some pu-erh teas are more than 50 years old, and rare pu-erh teas sell for many thousands of dollars in Asian specialty stores.

Pu-erh teas come from China’s Yunnan Province and are named for a city in southern Yunnan. These teas are highly valued in China where the processing methods have been a well-guarded secret for centuries. Pu-erh’s distinct flavor comes from the fact that after the leaves are picked, they are made into a sundried base tea called maocha and then fermented. After that, the leaves are aged and then packed into bricks or cakes.

You brew pu-erh tea the same as you would brew black and oolong teas. Heat good quality water to a vigorous boil. Pour the water over the tea leaves (which can be loose or in a tea ball or strainer), wait 10 seconds, then discard the water. This “opens” the leaves.  Add more water and steep long enough to develop color and flavor but not so long that the tea will taste tastes bitter. For pu-erh, two to five minutes is best. Depending on the variety, the color of the brewed tea can be pale yellow, golden, red, or dark brown. Some brewed pu-erh varieties look like coffee and taste very earthy, but connoisseurs often dismiss these as low quality. You can reuse good quality tea leaves several times; tea lovers say that the subsequent infusions taste better and better.

As for pu-erh tea benefits, because it is fully oxidized, pu-erh has a lower antioxidant content than white or green tea, but Chinese people credit it with many health benefits, especially promotion of weight loss, reduction of serum cholesterol, and cardiovascular protection. Not many scientific studies exist on pu-erh tea, so we don’t know how valid these health claims are. Some research suggests that pu-erh may help lower cholesterol and reduce heart disease risk, but this hasn’t been confirmed in humans. A Chinese study performed on rats and published in 2009 showed lowering of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglyceride levels after the animals were fed a pu-erh tea extract, along with an increase in  HDL (“good” cholesterol). We know that tea, in general, is protective against heart disease and cancer. It’s likely that pu-erh tea has similar effects.

I am a great fan of quality pu-erh, and have had the good fortune to sample some exquisite varieties during my travels in China. Fortunately, good pu-erh is becoming easier to find in this country. Exploring these complex, venerable teas is a healthy and rewarding pursuit that I highly recommend.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Even a novice tea drinker knows that tea—in its many varieties—can benefit the body. Need to calm down? Brew a calming cup of chamomile. Need help focusing during your fourth Zoom meeting of the day? Matcha‘s got your back. But even tea drinkers with a whole pantry full of different varieties may not be familiar with pu’er tea (also spelled Pu-erh).

While it might be less known to some American consumers, pu’er tea is a staple in China, its country of origin. “Pu’er is a region-specific tea. Similarly to how true champagne has to come from Champagne, France, true pu’er has to come from Yunnan, China,” says Kyle Stewart, co-owner of The Cultured Cup and one of only 175 certified tea specialist in the entire world. Stewart also explains that pu’er is a fermented tea, which means it’s good for your gut.  It’s also been strongly linked to heart health. Curious to learn more about this gut- and heart-healthy tea? Keep reading for more information on how it’s made and how sipping it can benefit the body.

How pu’er tea is made

As Stewart explained, pu’er tea is a type of Chinese tea. “Generally, Chinese tea is classified into six major types: green, white, yellow, dark green or oolong, black tea, and pu’er, which is sometimes called dark tea,” says tea sommelier Ann Sit, the general manager at Fook Ming Tong. Sit has been studying tea for decades and dedicates her time scouring tea plantations around China.

Sit explains that there are two types of pu’er tea: raw and fermented. “With the raw tea, the process involves removing part of the water content from the tea leaves by wilting them.” She says that the leaves are steamed, which stops the fermentation process. Then, they’re rolled into the desired shape and dried in the sun. “With fermented tea, the process is the same except that it undergoes a post-fermentation,” Sit says. “It’s a wet piling method, which is a process where tea leaves are chemically broken down by yeast, bacteria, or other micro-organisms.”

Pu’er tea benefits for heart and gut health

With all the kombucha-sipping and probiotic popping going on, many people have wisened up to the fact that bacteria (at least certain types of bacteria) is good for the gut. So too is fermented pu’er tea.

Related Stories

“As early as ancient times, the Chinese had already discovered the medicinal value of pu’er tea,” Sit says. One scientific study found that this type of tea has a very diverse bacteria makeup, which is great news as far as gut health is concerned. “Drinking it is beneficial to the intestines and stomach, in my experience. I’ve had it daily after breakfast for many years and have seen how it can improve digestion and help with constipation,” Sit says, sharing her own personal experience.

Kyle explains that pu’er tea can be fermented for different lengths of time. “Similarly to wine, some is fermented for years and it can be quite expensive to buy,” he says. A longer fermentation process not only tastes different than one that hasn’t been fermented for very long, but according to the scientific study, it will have a wider range of different beneficial bacteria.

Whether you buy it raw or fermented pu’er tea, pu’er tea benefits your heart, too. “This is because pu’er tea has compounds called statins. These are the same compounds found in blood-pressure-lowering medications,” Stewart says. One randomized placebo-controlled trial found that consuming pu’er tea every day successfully lowered cholesterol levels even though no dietary changes were made. Another scientific paper also states that drinking pu’er tea is good for cardiovascular health, not only because of the statins, but also because of the tea’s polyphenols (plant compounds with antioxidant properties) and theabrownin, a type of tea pigment.

Sit says the heart-healthy benefits are why she started drinking pu’er tea every day, starting 30 years ago. “I have a family history of high-cholesterol causing disease. My dad has diabetes and had a stroke,” she says. “Pu’er is not medicine. It cannot cure any disease. But I do believe it is a good herbal supplement for health.”

There are other health benefits to the tea as well. It protects the nervous system and is beneficial for brain health. It’s also been shown to stop tumor growth in lab studies. (Further studies need to be done to see if it also works on humans, not in test tubes.) Simply put, this truly is a special tea.

How to buy and prepare this fermented tea

If you want to buy some, Sit has a few tips to keep in mind. First is the place of origin. It bears repeating that only pu’er tea from Yunnan, China is authentic. Some pu’er tea is labeled with its harvest year, another commonality it has with wine. “Pu’er is meant to be aged over time, preferably kept in a dry and odor-free environment to promote both oxidation and fermentation.,” Sit says. “Normally, well-aged pu’er will fetch the higher price on the market. Therefore, some tea products labels will list the year of the tea harvest year, same as tea leaf’s year of birth.”

If you’re buying it in person and not online, Sit recommends observing the shape and color of the tea leaves, checking for fungus or mold. “Some mold that can be found in tea leaves’ surface is normal, especially for the many years aging,” Sit says, adding that this harmless type of mold is white in color or looks similar to dust. But she says that if you see any green mold, that could be harmful to consume. (Stewart’s tea shop sells pu’er tea ranging from between $11 to $13).

Once you have your tea, it’s important to steep it correctly. Different teas require different water temperatures and steeping times. Sit recommends a water temperature of between 203°F to 212°F and steeping the tea for one minute, or longer if you like a stronger taste. She recommends drinking it after a meal and not on an empty stomach.

So there you have it. Kombucha clearly isn’t the only fermented tea drink that’s full of benefits. Pu’er tea is another one to add to your rotation, and your brain, gut, and heart will all thank you.

Oh hi! You look like someone who loves free workouts, discounts for cult-fave wellness brands, and exclusive Well+Good content. Sign up for Well+, our online community of wellness insiders, and unlock your rewards instantly.