Mao Yan Mei Tea

Tucked away at the border of Zhangjiajie Prefecture, in the northwestern part of Hunan Province, China is a village called Changshou (Longevity) Village, home of the Tujia ethnic group. Tea is a daily necessity for Tujia people who love to brew and infuse tea in clay tile pots for long hours.

Tujia ancestral forefathers have been consuming a woody vine tea, also known as the Changshou (Longevity) Vine or Tujia Godly Tea which grows at the altitude of 800-1500 metres of the red sandstone mountains where the environment is completely pure and unpolluted.

In 1993, a number of China’s domestic agro-forestry experts, personnel and authorities carried out 2 years of studies, investigations and expedition on Zhangjiajie. During this period, the Tujia people served the Tujia Godly Tea to all guests and visitors. Despite the trying and arduous working environment amongst the treacherous and perilous streams, jungles and mountain range infested with insects and vermin, the experts and research personnel were able to remain healthy and robust even during the rainy seasons when the bacteria, virus and germs were the most active. Any occasional cold or malady suffered would cease or go away after drinking the tea for a few days. The experts also found that there were a considerable number of centenarians who were still hale and hearty in all the villages and hamlets they visited. Could this be related to the tea?

The experts realized that the Tujia population who regularly consumed the tea seldom suffered from the “Three Highs Diseases” – high cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood sugar). Some samples of the tea were sent to the Chinese Academy of Traditional Medicine Department Authorities for further  examination and appraisal of its ingredients and efficacy. The findings from all the 9 Traditional Chinese Medical and Medicinal Research Institutes confirmed that the tea plant contains the highest concentrations of flavonoid compounds among all wild plants as well as 17 types of amino acid and 15 kinds of trace elements.

This Tujia Godly Tea is marketed as Mao Yan Mei tea which is available in teabag sachets and powder sachets. I was sent 10 teabag sachets and 4 powder sachets. They recommend 2 teabag sachets for 1 person, the brewing can be repeated 3x with the same sachets. There is a slightly woody taste and it doesn’t taste exactly like the Chinese tea we are accustomed to. The taste is quite light and very palatable. When the tea arrived, I was suffering from heartburn and I brewed 2 teabag sachets, drank a few cups and it didn’t take long before I felt much better, heartburn gone. I drink it before bedtime too and it doesn’t give me insomnia, In fact, I sleep very well without waking up in the middle of the night when I drink this tea.

The tea has been recommended for topical usage too:-

Dandruff : Wash hair with water boiled with 6 teabags

Acne : wash face with 1kg of water with 4 teabags boiled for 3 minutes.

Blurred vision : soak 2 teabags in boiled water for 3 minutes and place on eyes for 10 minutes, 2 or 3 times daily.

Mosquito bites : wiping with thick brewed tea to relieve itching/swelling

Skin allergies : scrubbing and washing with tea 3-5x a day for dermatitis, eczema and diabetes-caused itchy skin.

Other uses for MYM tea include:-

Dumplings : wrap a small amount of tea powder taken fro soaked teabag into dumplings. It enhances the flavor and nutrition of the dumplings.

Flower plants : the tea powder can be used as fertilizer by sprinkling it into flower pots or boiling it in water to water the flowers. It will help to enhance the colour, enlarge the leaves and strengthen the roots of the flower plants.

Mao Yan Mei tea is not available at any retail shops yet. You can make your order by sending an order request to mym.tysb@gmail.com or order it from the website : www.maoyanmei.com. Although the information in maoyanmei.wordpress.com is in Chinese, you can visit to glean an understanding on the tea.

In regard to the price, it is sold at RM150 for a box which is sufficient for a month usage. In a box, there are 75 tea sachets and another 10 bags of tea powder.

All information regarding MYM tea has been provided by the distributor of MYM in Malaysia.