The blog is back up after a few months of hiatus! While I cannot divulge the details as to why it was down (let’s just say moving boxes, too much stress, and redecorating have a lot to do with it), the important thing is the site has returned, and I’ll be back to giving more healthy tea information for weight loss, wellness, and just pure drinking enjoyment.

But first, a recap. If you’re new, you might be wondering, “Why Oolong Tea?” Well, for starters, I just love it. I love the aroma, the mild flavor, and the overall feeling I get when I drink it. And hey, for a mom of one very active baby boy, I can tell you that the tea also relaxes my mind after a long day of work and baby care.

Above all else however, I’ve always learned about Oolong Tea’s health and weight loss benefits. And to mark the return of the website online, here’re some quick Oolong Tea truths, and Oolong Tea myths that need to be watched out for!

Truth – Oolong tea definitely helps in weight loss. Aside from the common observation that tea drinking countries, such as Japan and China, have very low obesity rates and have a high percentage of healthy citizens, there have also been scientific studies that showed how Oolong tea actually increases metabolism, blocks fat absorption, and burns fat. In essence, it is a natural energizer, fat blocker, and slimming agent!

Myth – Oolong tea is not the only tea that does this. While I prefer Oolong tea because of personal reasons, you might have encountered a lot of oolong tea products online that say “this tea is better than that tea!” This is not always the case. Some teas will work better than others, and you’ll see here, that even if my blog named Oolong, that I also feature a lot of information about other teas as well!

Truth – Oolong tea is a very effective fat blocker. In fact, in Asia, many people drink oolong tea whenever they eat greasy and fatty food. At first, this was just a common belief among them, but scientists have since proven that it is indeed a good natural fat blocker. According to many studies, oolong tea’s fat blocking effects can, at maximum, double the amount of fat expelled by the body. This along with proper dieting and exercise can produce very good weight loss results!

Myth – Oolong tea is the best solution to lose weight, and no other thing is necessary. This, is not true. Definitely not true. While oolong tea can definitely assist in losing weight and blocking fat, this is by no means an excuse to keep on eating very fatty foods, or neglecting exercise and proper dieting. It is a good enhancer, not a silver bullet. So when you see “this oolong tea product is a quick, easy, and cheap way to lose fat!” on the ads you see online, be very careful in heeding their words.

Truth – Oolong tea reduces bad cholesterol levels. This is true. Some studies done in China and Japan have pointed out that drinking oolong tea on a regular basis can revitalize internal organs, and actually reduce bad cholesterol levels. This can help in maintaining the integrity of the heart, reduce the risk of various diseases, and even in maintaining the figure.

Myth – Oolong tea is a good substitute for heart medication. This is false. VERY FALSE. Some oolong tea products will give this tone, and sadly, some fall for it with very bad consequences. While oolong tea is a good helper, again, like in fat blocking, oolong tea is not a silver bullet.

So there you have it, a few oolong tea facts to mark the return of my blog! Tune in for other tea updates, facts, and news clips!

Green Tea Can Help Fight Lung Cancer!

Smoking is very bad for the health, and is one of the leading reasons for lung cancer. Unfortunately, many smokers get hooked to nicotine, and it can be very hard to quit. There isn’t much that can be done aside from stopping, but for those having difficulty doing so, there is a healthy, calming, and relaxing way to help at least fight off lung cancer. And it’s green tea!

Once again, research has found another amazing benefit to drinking this wonder tea! Let’s find out more about green tea’s anti-lung cancer capabilities.

A leading medical university in Taiwan has studied green tea and discovered that it offers some protection against lung cancer, after testing with more than 500 people. Both smokers and non-smokers were discovered to have had their lung cancer risk significantly once they drank at least one cup of green tea per day.

Medical statistics show that Asia, a majority of which drinks green tea on a regular basis, has lower cancer rates than other parts of the world, which has led many to link green tea’s anti-cancer benefits. But studies have also shown that while polyphenols, which are contained in green tea, can stop cancer cells from growing, certain genes in the human body can affect its results.

Studies have shown that green tea drinkers, whether smokers or non-smokers, with certain types of a gene called IGF1 were far less likely to get lung cancer than other green tea drinkers that have different types of this gene.

Nevertheless, it is encouraged that people, especially smokers, drink green-tea on a regular basis, not just because of its anti-cancer benefits, but also because of its ability to help detoxify the body. If you’re a smoker, green tea can help, but remember, it is not an excuse to keep smoking!

[Ed. Note: I have found that green tea combined with other herbs and grasses create formulas that can have increased benefits, aimed at helping improve one's wellness. An example I found is Kyo-green Green Tea, which combines green tea with the nutrients found in wheat grass and barley, and can improve a lot of things like detoxificatoin, digestion, and can even spur some weight loss! I'm not a smoker, but I will try this one out as well. ]

Europe’s equivalent to Asia’s medicinal and healthy teas!

When we hear medicinal and healthy teas, the first tea that comes to mind is green tea, and its story of how the Chinese, Japanese, and other oriental countries have used it for centuries to promote longevity, health, and wellness.

But a tea that has its roots literally deep in the west, has mostly been at the back burner of by mainstream society, until recently.

Nettle tea, a tea that has similar medicinal benefits as green tea and black tea, has been used by ancient western civilizations for centuries, to treat a variety of ailments and promote health and wellness. But is this tea really the west’s answer to eastern teas? Let’s take a look.

Nettle Tea, or more specifically, stinging nettle tea, is a tea that comes from the stinging nettle plant. The name “stinging” comes from various hairs and barbs that can be found in the leaves and stems. It can cause a somewhat painful sting if touched improperly by the skin, but like a diamond in the rough, boiling the leaves and stems turns the nettle into an herb that can give a variety of benefits to the body.

These include helping alleviate insomnia, skin itchiness, constipation, indigestion, headaches, excessive bleeding (helpful after childbirth), and can help improve the cardiovascular system of the body.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many European societies have also used nettle tea to help dissolve or pass kidney stones, purify the blood by causing the kidneys to excrete more water, and activate the natural defense mechanisms of the body, which can help expel everything from intestinal worms to phlegm from the lungs.

It also has a high calcium content, which is beneficial for easing leg cramps, muscle spasms, and can help bone problems usually prevalent in women.

Nettle tea does this by having a high iron and chlorophyll content, along with magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper, potassium, chromium, riboflavin, thiamine, and a slew of vitamins, like vitamins A, C, D, E, K. Truly a good tea to consider when looking go get tea therapy.

So next time you run out of green tea, try getting some nettle tea instead. Whether straight from the stem (be careful though! ) or from the grocery, the benefits are the same for you to enjoy!

[Ed. Note: Be sure to check out our other recommended teas by browsing through the site's sidebar of various tea choices, and reading my other tea articles!]

There’s more to those teabags than you might think.

In our first installment of the uses of used tea bags, I discussed how the tea bags we use can help with some of the negative side effects of minor injuries, and help with some body problems. But there is still much, much more our friendly tea bags can do. And in the age of recycling and not wasting anything, this is great, and can help us save money while we help save the planet!

Our second installment of the uses of used tea bags, we will discuss more of its cosmetic uses, and will add some practical uses, such quick cures, and uses beneficial to the household. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Do you have dry hair? Tea can actually help give the hair a natural shine and luster! Take your used tea bag and soak them in warm water, and let cool just before you take your bath. After shampooing your hair, take your cooled tea and use it as a final rinse for your hair. The tea’s natural ingredients, such as tannin, will add a luster to your hair. Other teas can have different effects as well, such as Chamomile tea, which when used in this manner can darken light hair, or dye graying hair. If you can afford it, use unused tea bags, but the tea bags from your afternoon tea can do just as well.

Tea can also benefit the face. After drinking a good cup of tea after work, save the tea bag for use after your evening wash. Place your used tea bag in warm water and let it cool, and soak a cloth into the tea. Use the wet cloth and wipe to the dry areas of the face, or other dry areas such as the knees and elbows. This moisturizes the skin, helping prevent the rough, dry feel. You can soak the tea bag and wrap a cloth around it as well, just be careful when you wipe or you’ll end up with a mess!

This technique can be adapted for a whole body bath. Save your tea bags and quickly dry them out in the sun after use, to stop them from rotting completely. Once you have a good number of dried tea bags, drop them in the bath tub the next time you soak. Its anti oxidants will rehydrate the skin of your entire body.

Want to feel fresh after drinking your afternoon mint tea? Why not reuse that recently used tea bag and soak it in another cup of warm water. But this time, add a half a teaspoon of salt in it. This helps alleviate toothaches, mouth inflammations, and can help prevent gingivitis. This, on top of giving you a fresh, clean breath. A wet tea bag can also be placed in an area where gums are bleeding, or in the area of a newly extracted tooth, to alleviate both the pain and the bleeding.

Speaking of fresh, do you have a cat? Kitty litter is always a pain in the butt to clean, let alone leave around the house, especially if your cat’s urine and poop have a pungent smell. To counter this, save your tea bags and dry them out in the sun. Once dry, break them open and mix the tea leaves in the new batch of kitty litter. The tea’s antibacterial features will help neutralize the odor.

And after washing a cast iron pot or pan, take a newly used tea bag and wipe the metal with it. The tannins of the tea creates a rust preventing layer in the pot, which can help save your kitchenware from rust and decay! Not to mention its anti-bacterial properties can add an additional level of clean that your soap and water might have missed.

So there you have our latest installment of the uses of used tea bags. Be sure to come back regularly for more tips!

[Ed. Note.: If you've missed our previous article, be sure to check out the first installment of the uses of used tea bags, and check out why a recommended brand of tea can provide you with both health benefits and practical tea bags to use!]

Tips On How To Choose The Right Green Tea Cosmetic Product For You

Green tea has emerged over the past few years as one of the most beneficial teas for the human body. Its health benefits is astounding, and can greatly help the body in a variety of health related, and even weight related issues.

In recent years, however, green tea has been discovered to also have benefits for cosmetics, and has now been included in many hair, skin, and other beauty products. When used topically, green tea can fight ultraviolet light, free radicals, improve skin tone and soothe acne, even help prevent skin cancer. With these many benefits, green tea in cosmetic products is good.

But not all green tea cosmetic products are effective, or safe. Some products will try to include the name “green tea”, but don’t really have the components that make green tea beneficial at all. Here are some ways to spot what green tea cosmetic products are good, and what aren’t.

Tip #1: Look for the scientific name – green tea cosmetic products will always have an ingredients list. Companies who truly know what they are doing will always give show the ingredients of green tea that will actually be beneficial to you. The list should say EGCG, which is green tea’s main antioxidant. It can also say catechins, or green tea extract. But avoid products which merely say “green tea fragrance”, or “green tea substitute”.

Tip #2: The amount of green tea counts – green tea’s main antioxidant, EGCG, is a powerful ingredient, but it quickly oxidizes once oxygen touches it. This is why the amount of green tea in the product should be a good number, or else it is pointless to use it, because the moment you put it on your skin, it won’t have enough time for it to work. If the ingredients list says 50 to 100 micrograms per ml, this is the amount of EGCG you will want.

Tip #3: Green tea needs a carrier – If the product doesn’t include the compound that carries the green tea ingredients, then it is not a good indication of the effectivity of the product. Many manufacturers will specify how the green tea will be delivered, whether it through alcohols, oils, or other herbal extracts. Be wary of lotions or shampoos that only have ground bits of green tea leaves, for while they might contain green tea, it might not be as effective.

Tip #4: Green tea alone can’t do the job – Green tea is a wonderful product, but expecting it to solve the cosmetic problems alone is like asking gasoline to transport you from one place to another without the need for a car. There are many other ingredients, whether herbal or otherwise, that can work in tandem with green tea. For instance, aloe vera and green tea can help smooth the skin, pomegranate extracts and green tea can rejuvenate it, and so on. Tea tree oil, white tea extracts, and other teas can also be combined with green tea.

With these tips, you can be sure to find the right green tea product for your cosmetic needs!

[Ed. Note: You don't necessarily need to buy green tea cosmetic products to get other benefits from tea! Visit our other uses of tea bags article to find out how else you can use the tea found in your home.]

There’s more to those teabags than you might think.

Teas, such as green tea and oolong tea, have some amazing properties when consumed by the body.

From improving blood circulation, strengthening the immune system, and aiding in detoxifying and cleansing the body. In fact, some teas, such as Tava Tea, which is a combination of many different kinds of teas, can even aid in losing weight. So there is no denying that tea is good overall.

But like most people, you probably just throw away your tea bags after you’re done drinking.

Don’t!

There is much more to tea than the benefits it gives when drank! Tea can help us long after we’re done bobbing them up and down our tea cup, and here’s a list of what other good things tea gives us.

Have tired, sore, and puffy eyes? Take your newly soaked tea bags and wait for them to warm to a good temperature, and place them over your eyes for around 20-25 minutes. Tea contains tannin, astringent polyphenols that can help reduce the soreness and puffiness of tired eyes. I recommend doing this while relaxing over soothing music, and drinking your favorite tea, providing a truly relaxing experience. An alternative area for women are the nipple areas after breastfeeding. Breastfeeding soreness can be dealt with using this technique.

Forgot to put some sunblock while gardening? Accidentally burnt yourself while cooking or ironing? Tea bags that have been wet and cooled can be placed in burnt areas to help bring relief to the affected area. This is effective only for minor burns though, and is not a total burn treatment, but it is definitely a good alternative to expensive burn ointments, or an unnecessary trip to the doctor. If you’ve gone to the beach, and have a large sunburnt area, you can put your tea bags in the bath and soak in it.

Another area you can soak in water laced with tea is the foot. Give yourself a nice foot relaxing treatment by soaking your feet in warm water containing a few aromatic tea bags, like peppermint or chamomile. Not only will it help relax the muscles, but it can also reduce foot odor. A good tip is to prepare your after work tea, drop the used tea bags in a basin of warm water, and soak your feet for 20 minutes while enjoying a cup of tea.

When out hiking, or camping the woods, bee stings and mosquito bites can be a pain to deal with. A warm, wet tea bag can be placed over the area of the bite or sting, and it can provide some relief. This is not a total cure for a bee sting, especially if the person is allergic to bees, but it can provide relief if no other side-effects are showing. 15-20 minutes should do the trick.

There are many other benefits those tea bags can do for you, and we will continue to discuss them in future articles, so stay tuned!

[Ed. Note: Aside from the health and weight loss benefits of Tava Tea, the tips suggested above can all be covered by the Tava Tea bags, because of Tava Tea's mixed blends of many different teas. So Tava Tea is an ideal tea for not just health, but practical purposes as well!]

Not all of them are actually useful!

The market is now filled with many so-called natural supplements, that claim to do everything from increase one’s health and well-being, to losing large amounts of weight in short periods of time. However, because the natural supplements are not strictly regulated in the United States, many unscrupulous companies will ride the wave of natural remedies, and offer products that seem to contain many scientific sounding, natural looking ingredients, without them actually being useful or beneficial at all!

Many natural supplements do not contain useful herbs at all, despite their seemingly long list of natural ingredients. But this doesn’t stop these other products from having good advertisements and campaigns, to try and convince you of their potency.

The only way to make sure that you’re not getting swindled, and worse, actually damaging your body, is to try and familiarize yourself with some of the already proven, and newly discovered natural ingredients today. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Red wine extract is a popular one, which contains resveratrol, an ingredient that helps fight the negative effects of aging, reduces the absorption of fat in the body, and helps cells rejuvenate themselves when damaged, while slowing down cellular decay.

Green tea extracts, contain polyphenols. Polyphenols help the body prevent the certain mechanisms that cause diseases from occurring, and are antioxidants that enhance the person’s health in complex ways. For instance, polyphenols have been shown to reduce the effects of many chronic diseases, and can reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.

Other teas, like oolong tea, and most recently, yerba mate tea, also share green tea’s ingredients. Yerba mate has recently been discovered to contain more polyphenols than green tea, and is now being widely used by natural supplement manufacturers.

Two more recent natural ingredients are guarana and damiana. Guarana contains guaranine, which improves the senses, increases the fat burning rate of the body, and can cause appetite suppression. Damiana is a leaf that strengthens the nervous system, increases blood circulation, and contains flavonoids, another type of polyphenol that can help in fighting depression, acts as a laxative, and can even help delay the onset of menopause in women.

These are just some of the natural ingredients commonly found now in many natural dietary supplements. The key is finding the dietary supplements with the right amounts of these ingredients, or if these ingredients exist at all!

There are many other natural ingredients constantly appearing in the market, and this site will constantly help identify those for you.

[Ed. Note: One product caught my attention when writing this article. Zotrim, a dietary supplement designed to steadily suppress the appetite, increase the rate of fat burning, boost the energy levels, and help minimize the bad bacteria and organisms in the body. Zotrim actually contains many of the extracts listed above, and is definitely something to watch out for, or try.]

Eat more and more, but weigh less and less!

One of the biggest factors that discourage people from dieting is the fact that they will have to stop eating foods they love. Foods that are a delight on the tastebuds, but a horror for proper weight management. And because engaging in a diet makes people give up these foods, many people that just begin engaging in a diet end up frustrated, discouraged, and overall depressed.

However, there is a way for people to keep on eating the food they love, but still lose the fat. There is a way for the body to not absorb the fat that is eaten; in fact, it immediately gets rid of it!

This is the benefit of what’s known as fat-binders.

There are many benefits, and many questions, about the use of fat binders. Let’s take a look at some of them.

First, let’s learn how fat binders work. Fat binders work by binding the fat that exists in the stomach, and making it pass through the body naturally, so the body has no time to absorb it, and therefore, add it to the body.

Now, there are many benefits to this. The biggest being, that unlike normal dieting, using fat binders allow people to maintain their normal eating habits! You can eat normal sized, even large sized meals, without the fear of adding fat to your body because it just passes through.

Unlike appetite suppressants however, which removes the craving to eat, eating during a time without a fat binder in your system will have the normal effects of eating, which is to say, eating fatty foods and forgetting your fat binder will have adverse effects. So while fat binders work, it still needs personal discipline to make it very effective.

Now, there are some misconceptions about fat binders. One of the most provocative, and yucky, is that fat binders will cause uncontrollable bowel movement. This is an obvious misconception, and yes, there are some fat-binders that can cause this side-effect, along with others like gas problems and oily discharges.

However, high quality and advanced fat binders don’t do this, with many of them using more modern and all-natural ingredients and proper formulation. In short, it binds the fat, but only passes it when you’re ready to.

Overall, the key is finding the right kind of fat-binder, one that has been tested, has a good reputation, and most importantly, one that works.

[Ed. Note: Despite a few possible negative side-effects from some other popular fat-binders, one that's on my watch list is Proactol, a fat-binder that is an all-natural alternative to the others in the market. Seen in Florida Lifestyle magazine, many attest to its effectiveness without the side-effects of the other fat-binder brands. Definitely keeping an eye out for this one!]

Beat the needless craving for food using this wonder plant!

Many people gain unnecessary weight because when they get a craving for food, they can’t fight it. Most of us eat away because we crave, because we think our body needs it. But there are many reasons why people crave for food, not just hunger! And it is when we eat when we don’t need to, that we gain weight.

However, the discovery of the Hoodia plant changes everything. This amazing plant, used for many years by bushmen of the Kalahari to fight off hunger and thirst on long hunting trips, is now being sold in many forms, such as patches, capsules, and powders.

In fact, the ingredient is so effective, and so powerful, that many existing weight loss brands have begun including Hoodia in their formulae.

Let’s take a look at what makes this amazing ingredient so effective in our fight to lose weight.

Of the many types of Hoodia plant, the hoodia gordonii is the one used by the bushmen of the Kalahari desert to stave off hunger and thirst. They do this by chewing on the bitter interior of the stem, which scientists have discovered to contain an ingedient called p57. This ingredient, after being tested on animals, have shown signs that the stories of the Kalahari bushmen are true. They are shown to have changed levels of ATP, reducing their hunger, and causing them to eat less and less, resulting in a loss of weight over the span of the testing period.

Of course, there are concerns. Because only one hoodia plant is actually effective, there are many unscrupulous companies who might sell counterfeits. These products do not contain the right kind of hoodia, and because only the hoodia gordonii has been tested, the side effects of these counterfeits are unknown.

However, the legitimate hoodia products have had very positive results to many people. Because it cuts food cravings, people who normally eat improperly, such as when stressed, find themselves ignoring the cravings to eat and drink unless needed, which benefits their time budgeting, on top of their health and fitness.

Find the most effective hoodia products out there, and experience a new life without unecessary meals! This site will help point you towards the right direction.

[Ed. Note: A hoodia product on my watchlist is Unique Hoodia, which is getting a lot of buzz in the weight loss market. With plenty of positive reviews, good results from actual users, and with no negative side-effects, I'm sure to monitor this product as the days pass.]

Will Blueberries Banish Belly Fat?

You bet, says researcher E. Mitchell Seymour, MS, of the University of Michigan. His new study shows rats that ate a diet high in blueberries lost abdominal fat – the kind linked to increasing waist size, risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Amazingly, this happened even when the rats ate a high-fat diet. As an added bonus, the blueberry eating rats also had improved glucose control – meaning their blood sugar was more stable!

Not surprisingly, researchers also suggest that blueberries may somehow alter the way the body stores and processes sugar – great news for those with a tricky metabolism.

The research was presented at Experimental Biology 2009. The experiments included feeding obese rats either with a low-fat or a high-carb diet both enriched with whole blueberry powder.

After three months, the rats in both eating groups that were fed the blueberries had improved glucose control and improved insulin sensitivity. These factors are both strongly related to lowering the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Blueberries are exceptionally easy to incorporate into your diet. Readily available while in season, you can also get them frozen. Put on cereal, eat with yogurt, flavor a protein shake – the possibilities are endless. It’s the ultimate “anti-aging” treat!

[Ed. Note: Another amazing superpower antioxidant on my watch-list is Resveratrol. Proven to contain up to 10 times the antioxidants of our amazing blueberries, this “Miracle Molecule” has made news on 60 Minutes, NBC and CNN]