by Darcia Helle

Created on: July 19, 2008

All forms of tea are derived from the leaves of the Camilla Sinensis. More than 3,000 specific varieties of this evergreen bush grow in mountainous areas around the world. Whether the resulting tea is black, green, oolong, or white depends on the time of harvest and the process the leaves are put through.

According to Chinese legend, Chinese Emperor Shen-Nun, also a divine healer, discovered tea when some of the plant's leaves blew into a pot of hot water. Other sources put the discovery of white tea in particular sometime during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.). The immature leaves, plucked in early spring, were compressed into cakes and boiled in kettles. By 1200 A.D., the process had evolved to immediately steaming the young leaves. They were then dried and ground into powder. Around 1885, various subtypes of the Camilla Sinensis bush began to be used in order to produce specific types of white tea.

White tea gets its name from the silvery fuzz that covers the unopened buds. These buds turn white when dried. The flavor is considered light, delicate, and slightly sweet, without the bitter aftertaste often associate with other tea varieties.

Creating white tea begins with hand-picking immature leaves and buds just prior to the time when the buds would fully open. Early spring is the preferred harvest time and there can be no leaves picked on rainy days or when the ground has frost. The leaves and buds are steamed and slowly dried, making it the least processed of the tea varieties.

The minimal processing of white tea means that it contains more polyphenols, a powerful anti-oxidant known to kill cancer-causing cells. Catechins, another group of antioxidants, are also abundant in white tea. Catechins have been proven to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol. Studies have also shown that white tea can help to lower high blood pressure. These benefits combine to protect the heart and entire circulatory system. Research has shown that people who drink 2 or more cups of white tea per day are almost 50-percent less likely to die after suffering a heart attack.

A 2004 Pace University study found that white tea extract boosts the immune system's ability to fight viruses and bacteria. Milton Schiffenbauer, Ph.D., a microbiologist and professor in the Department of Biology at Pace University's Dyson College of Arts & Sciences and primary author of this research study, was quoted as saying, "Our research shows White Tea Extract can actually destroy in vitro the organisms that cause

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