Eucommia tea (杜仲茶, Dù Zhòng Chá) is made from the dried leaves of Eucommia ulmoides. Eucommia ulmoides is called Du Zhong in Chinese and is traditional Chinese medicine.
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What Is Eucommia Tea
Eucommia ulmoides is native to China and is the only species of the genus Eucommia. It is a deciduous tree, up to 20 meters high. Eucommia ulmoides is also introduced to botanical gardens in Europe and America, known as “Chinese rubber tree”, but it has no kinship with the rubber tree.
Eucommia ulmoides has a medicinal history of more than 2,000 years. Traditionally, eucommia bark is used as medicine. The active ingredients and pharmacological effects of eucommia leaves are similar to that of eucommia bark. Since 2005, <Chinese Pharmacopoeia> began to include eucommia leaves as Chinese medicine.
Eucommia tea is a healthy beverage made from eucommia leaves as raw materials through traditional tea processing and traditional Chinese medicine processing methods.
In China, there are many healthy beverages made of eucommia leaves, such as eucommia green tea, eucommia black tea, eucommia oolong tea, eucommia jasmine tea, eucommia wine, eucommia vinegar, etc.
According to the production season, eucommia tea can be classified into spring tea, summer tea, and autumn tea. Like traditional Chinese tea, the tender the leaves of Eucommia ulmoides, the higher the quality of the eucommia tea, so the spring eucommia tea has the best taste and medicinal effects.
Eucommia tea produced in Zhangjiajie of Hunan Province has the best quality. Zhangjiajie has the largest wild Eucommia ulmoides forest in the world.
How to Make Eucommia Tea
Before brewing eucommia tea, you can tear the eucommia leaves, and the white Eucommia ulmoides gums can be seen. These white gums are the active ingredients of eucommia leaves.
Although eucommia tea is similar to traditional Chinese tea in terms of tea processing technology, its brewing method is different. It should be steeped with 100℃ water for 5-10 minutes to fully make the active ingredients come out.
Eucommia tea has a grassy smell after brewing. The stronger the grassy smell, the better the quality of eucommia tea. It tastes a litter bitter, you can add honey and sugar according to your taste. In addition, you can also add Ju Hua, wolfberry, hawthorn, Jiaogulan to brew together.
Benefits of Eucommia Tea
The leaves of Eucommia ulmoides are rich in nutrients, including 17 kinds of free amino acids, 15 kinds of trace elements such as zinc, copper, iron, germanium, and selenium.
The natural protein content in eucommia leaves is higher than that of corn, grains, sorghum, and potatoes, which is equivalent to that of barley and wheat.
Eucommia leaves are rich in vitamins and carotenes, and also contain vitamin B2 and trace amounts of vitamin B1, which is closely related to anti-aging and cellular immunity.
The active ingredients of eucommia leaves include flavonoids, iridoids, phenylpropanoids, lignans, polysaccharides, and eucommia gum.
Benefits of eucommia tea:
- Anti-aging
- Anti-fatigue
- Weight loss
- Anti-inflammatory
- Lower blood lipids
- Lower blood sugar
- Lower blood pressure
- Boost immune system
- Strengthen muscles and bones
- Improve gastrointestinal function
- Treat kidney disease and waist disease
Side Effects of Eucommia Tea
Eucommia tea has no serious side effects no matter they are used as Chinese herbal pieces, Chinese patent medicine, or healthy food.
Although eucommia tea has many effects, it should no be drunk too much, otherwise, it may cause dizziness, fatigue, palpitations, drowsiness, etc.