Yuan Dishun: Research on the Liver-Protecting Effects of White Tea
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2016-04-18
[Reposted]
Yuan Dishun: Research on the Liver-Protecting Effects of White Tea
White tea is one of China’s six traditional tea categories, primarily produced in areas like Fuding, Fujian. Known for its unique production method—where the leaves are neither pan-fired nor rolled—the finished tea features a silvery-white appearance, entirely covered with delicate white hairs, hence the name "white tea." In Chinese folk tradition, white tea is believed to have cooling properties and is thought to help reduce fever and alleviate internal heat, making it beneficial for treating certain ailments. Research by Chen Yuchun and others suggests that white tea can significantly enhance the secretion of CSFS by mixed lymphocytes in mice with blood deficiency, thereby boosting or improving both normal and impaired cellular immune functions in these animals, while also elevating EPD levels and promoting red blood cell production. Meanwhile, Santana-Rios G et al. found that white tea effectively inhibits the expression of mutagenic agents, potentially lowering the risk of colon tumors in mice. Additionally, Dashwood and Roderick H compared the tumor-inhibiting effects of white tea and green tea, concluding that white tea’s superior efficacy likely stems from its simple processing method, which helps preserve the tea’s bioactive compounds more effectively than green tea.
Experimental results from studies on the liver-protective effects of white tea show that fresh tea leaves—specifically one bud with two leaves—were divided into two groups. One group underwent steaming and drying to create a control tea sample, while the other was allowed to naturally wither. The withered leaves from the second group were then processed: half were dried at 30°C, and the other half at 120°C, resulting in two distinct white tea samples. Each of these three tea samples was brewed using a tea-to-water ratio of 1:30, steeped in a 40°C water bath for 30 minutes, and subsequently filtered to prepare standardized tea extracts. These extracts were then administered to mice at low, medium, and high doses, respectively, to evaluate their protective effects against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury in the animals.
The study findings indicate that, compared to the control group, white tea dried at 120°C significantly alleviated CCl4-induced pathological damage to liver cells (p < 0.01). Moreover, the protective effect was more pronounced at the high dose than at the medium or low doses. Specifically, in mice treated with the high-dose white tea, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT/GPT) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were reduced to 71.2% (p < 0.01) and 68.1% (p < 0.01) of the model group, respectively—outperforming the effects observed with the control tea treatment (ALT/GPT: 80.1%; MDA: 94.6%). Additionally, glutathione levels in the livers of mice treated with high-dose white tea were 118.5% higher than those in the model group (p < 0.05). These results demonstrate that white tea exhibits hepatoprotective properties and highlight the significant impact of white tea processing techniques on its liver-protective efficacy.
The study findings indicate that white tea dried at 30°C can also significantly alleviate the pathological damage to liver cells caused by CCl4 (p < 0.01). In mice treated with a high dose of 30°C-dried white tea, levels of GSH, ALT/GPT, and MDA were 116.4%, 71.2% (p < 0.01), and 61.5% (p < 0.01) of those observed in the model group, respectively—effects that were not significantly different from those achieved with white tea dried at 120°C. These results suggest that prolonged withering is a critical processing step responsible for the liver-protective effects of white tea.
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