Fortification of the Health Benefit of Buckwheat (F agopyrum tataricum ) Tea

Abstract

Three extracts from Zijuan (Camellia sinensis), Kudingcha (Ilex kudingcha) and Mingri (Angelica keiskei) leaves were used to fortify the health promoting function of traditional buckwheat tea. Three fortified teas with similar sensory property to the original tea and higher level of total flavonoids and catechin were chosen to evaluate their capability in lowering hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic stress using mouse models. The blood glucose level in the hyperglycemic mice was significantly reduced by 10.84 to 34.12% after oral gavage of the three fortified teas (0.4 mL of 20% in solution) each day for 7 days, while it only lowered 4.56% in the original buckwheat tea treatment (P < 0.05). Also, the three fortified teas had effective response to lower the boosted blood glucose level in fasted mice. In the hyperlipidemic mouse model, the mice fed with the fortified teas for 30 days had lower serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels and higher high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level. Practical Applications This study demonstrated a potential method to enhance the health benefit of buckwheat tea without loss of its sensory properties. The information would be valuable in developing various health-promoting food products from buckwheat and other grains.