My friend is a Naturopathic doctor specializing in Chinese medicine. He drinks Pu-erh tea every day with the other doctors.

These doctors are super healthy and youthful. They say it is the most nutritious tea available. One doctor has some pu-erh that costs over a thousand dollars for one cup of tea!

I've recently started drinking it and really enjoy the flavor. Anyone else enjoy a cup of Pu-erh? It adds a good liquid base to green smoothies.

Yes, I know it from Austria. Haven't seen it much in the US. Interesting idea about using it as a base to green smoothies...

I didn't know they had Pu-erh in Austria. The Chinese doctors drink Pu-erh every day! I like the Tao of Tea brand. I like to blend up soaked goji berries with water, strain out the liquid, and drink a tall glass of half goji half Pu-erh. It's good stuff!

supergreens:

<<These doctors are super healthy and youthful.>>

how do u know?
by appearance only?
what is their diet and exercise regime like?

The doctors are teachers at the Traditional Chinese Medicine and Naturopathic College. They are in perfect health, even in old age.

One of the things that keeps them super healthy is Qi Gong. They practice Qi Gong every day, and attend Qi Gong retreats.

There was a Qi Gong master living here last year working with the school. Unfortunately I never took his class. My friend who is going to school there said that the Qi Gong classes transformed his life!

I will try to find a video interview that my friend shared with me. An American doctor interviews a Chinese doctor, an expert in Pu-erh. They are drinking a cup of Pu-erh that would cost something like $1,000 if sold in the store!

I tried find the interview on google but no luck yet. I found some other Pu-erh interviews, in this interview he talks about how Pu-erh tea is raw and uncooked. It is sun-dried (dehydrated at low temperatures) and then cultured...

[www.teance.com]
"WY: Pu-Erh is the oldest, and perhaps, one of the most mysterious teas in the world, and most certainly, a treasure of the tea world. The history of Pu-Erh is fraught with adventure, travel, and international intrigue.

Master Wang, you are an herbalist and traditional health care practitioner. Tell us your background and interest with Pu-Erh.

MW: I was born and raised in Yunnan, the origin of Pu-Erh where tea is a big part of life for many people in Yunnan including myself. I grew up with this tea culture. My real passion for drinking and sharing fine Pu-Erh tea didn't start until I experienced a major health crisis 20 years ago. As a result, I was forced to review and change some of my life priorities and choices.

This began my journey of health cultivation which has led to my extremely sensitive palate and olfaction (sense of smell). I have become able to discern the healing power of clean, fine Pu-Erh tea from that of immature or sub standard teas.

Enjoying and sharing masterfully crafted Pu-Erh has become a transformative journey: pleasurable, healing and invigorating. Tea, especially fine Pu-Erh has become a way of life for me. It's beyond words.

Being an herbalist helps me distinguish what is good Pu-Erh tea according to how the tea impacts the human body. I drink tea with my entire body! If the energetics of the tea warms my extremities and causes the chi to run to the bottom of my feet, and I feel my dan tien (navel area) open, then it's good tea....

...WY: Finally, since Master Wang, you are a master herbalist, what are some traditional Chinese medicine perspectives on Pu-Erh that deem it beneficial to the tea drinker?

MW: Good Pu-Erhs have many beneficial health benefits. The green uncooked Pu-Erhs have cooling and calming effects if consumed very diluted, as it is very potent. Over dosage can lead to adverse health consequences. This is in the spirit of the homeopathic principle of “less is more.”

In addition, Pu-Erh tea is rich in vitamins and minerals. According to Chinese medicine Pu-Erh is most effective for reducing stress and eliminating toxins from the body. The cooked Pu-Erhs are great for lowering cholesterol and uric acid reduction, improving sleep, moving one's chi to the extremities, opening meridians, preventing blockage and aids digestion.

Aged teas both from cooked or uncooked Pu-Erhs are effective for reducing headaches, lowering high blood pressure, and are all good anti-oxidants. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Similarly, there is good caffeine and bad caffeine. Fine Pu-Erh teas have good caffeine. It stimulates the nervous system and opens all channels, but you can sleep well after drinking it!


Pu-Erh tea is art expressed as medicine, and also medicine expressed as art. It's a drinkable antique, and it’s value is priceless even beyond speculation. I look forward to having other tea masters and tea professionals add to the growing international dialog, collaboration and sharing of the powerful living art and living medicine known as Pu-Erh tea.

For years, as a health practitioner and tea educator I have worked enthusiastically to verbally share the spirit of “Chan Cha Yi Wei” -- Zen and Tea is One Taste. Yet, each time I am blessed with a cup of fine Pu-Erh I find myself speechless, because as the old Zen saying goes, “Tea Talks.”

In closing, I want to thank you for this opportunity of sharing this fine cup of tea and invite you for many more cups to come." <end quote>

If anyone's interested, this is a very reputable tea company I've dealt with and, as you can see by the prices(!), they must have top quality Pu-erh:

[www.arborteas.com]

I saw this tea in my local supermarket today. It is about the same price as all the other 'specialist' teas. I wonder if it needs to be expensive to have all the reputed good effects.

I might try some - umm pondering