A cup of green tea helps you on a hot day

If you are living in the northern hemisphere, you might be going through a heat wave. Reports are saying, that “cooling tea” (防暑降温茶) sales are surging in places like Beijing (北京) and Shandong (山东) province, where the temperature has recently reached forty degrees centigrade. Companies are distributing the teas to their employees.

Green tea (绿茶) is best suited to help you on a hot day. According to Chinese medicine’s principles, green tea is categorised as a “cold natured” (寒性) aliment and is thus considered ideal for relieving from heat and helping regulating body temperature. White teas (白茶) and wulong teas (乌龙茶) also work. Red tea (红茶) on the other hand is best suited to warm your body on a cold day. Contrary to what one might think, iced tea is not the best solution. A warm, not boiling, cup of green tea is better, so you don’t impose a temperature shock to your body.

Green tea being a fully unoxidised tea type, it has the highest concentration of the different compounds contained in tea leaves. Furthermore its fresh taste helps getting rid of your thirst.

Chinese sources: 日饮茶做个健康白领; 天气渐热 找“茶”降温