Could white tea be an effective weapon against depression? Some findings seem to point in that direction.
Well it certainly can't hurt.Probably along with other methods ,Diet, Exercise ,
Drinking white tea is a relaxing experience, and drinkers of both white tea and many other kinds of tea often claim that drinking it helps them relieve stress, which may lead them to think that there is some chemical substance in the tea that has a soothing effect.
They seem to be on to something. This is due to a compound calles L-theanine (which is named after tea, where it occurs most frequently). It is an amino acid that can enter the brain, and that's why it has psychoactive properties. Studies show that L-theanine can reduce mental and physical stress.
There appear to be no harmful effects of even a very high L-theanine intake, and the substance works by increasing the serotonin, dopamine and and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) level in the brain.
The result appears to be a lower stress level and less anxiety. These emotions are often closely related to depression for those who suffer from it.
In essence, drinking tea may have a depression-fighting effect in the long term. In the short term, the caffeine content in tea would probably work against it. Many people who struggle with anxiety and panic attacks get the advice from their doctor to stop drinking coffee, or switch to decaf. Caffeine is known to heighten anxieties and raise the blood pressure.
Enter the white tea, which has less caffeine than other teas, and much less caffeine than coffee. The concentration of L-theanine in white tea has not been measured spcifically, but all teas contain it. Without further studies, there's no reason to think that white tea would have any less L-theanine than other teas, but the low caffeine content may make it more effective against anxiety and depression. Note that this is basically conjecture that can't be backed up by research yet, but it seems to be a reasonable conclusion.
Caffeine works quickly and the effect lasts for a few hours at most, but L-theanine and other serotonin enhancers work in the long term. There has to be built up a sufficient concentration in the brain before the effects become strong enough to be significant. This could mean that the anti-depression and anti-anxiety properties of tea will appear in the long term, and will therefore not be diminished by the short-term effects of caffeine. With the low caffeine content of white tea, the whites could well be the teas of choice for those who would like to lower their stress levels.
L-theanine has other fine properties as well, and various studies show that it may:
- lower blood pressure
- diminish symptoms of PMS
- promote concentration
- improve learning performance