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Sanpin-cha: The reigning infusion in Okinawa

Okinawans drink more Sanpin-cha—a mix of green tea and jasmine flowers— than any other kind of tea. The closest approximation in the West would be the jasmine tea that usually comes from China. A 1988 study conducted by Hiroko Sho at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology indicates that jasmine tea reduces blood cholesterol levels.⁴
Sanpin-cha can be found in many different forms in Okinawa, and is even available in vending machines. In addition to all the antioxidant benefits of green tea, it boasts the benefits of jasmine, which include:

Reducing the risk of heart attack
Strengthening the immune system
Helping relieve stress L owering cholesterol
Okinawans drink an average of three cups of Sanpin-cha every day.
Okinawans drink an average of three cups of Sanpin-cha every day.
It might be hard to find exactly the same blend in the West, but we can drink jasmine tea, or even a high-quality green tea, instead.

The secrets of green tea

Green tea has been credited for centuries with significant medicinal properties. Recent studies have confirmed its many benefits, and have attested to the importance of this ancient plant in the longevity of those who drink it often.
Originally from China, where it has been consumed for millennia, green tea didn’t make its way to the rest of the world until just a few centuries ago. Unlike other teas, and as a result of being air-dried without fermentation, it retains its active elements even after being dried and crumbled. It offers meaningful health benefits such as:

Controlling cholesterol
L owering blood sugar levels
Improving circulation
Protection against the flu (vitamin C)
Promoting bone health (fluoride)
Protection against certain bacterial infections
Protection against UV damage
Cleansing and diuretic effects
White tea, with its high concentration of polyphenols, may be even more effective against aging. In fact, it is considered to be the natural product with the greatest antioxidant power in the world—to the extent that one cup of white tea might pack the same punch as about a dozen glasses of orange juice.
In summary: Drinking green or white tea every day can help us reduce the free radicals in our bodies, keeping us young longer.

The powerful shikuwasa

Shikuwasa is the citrus fruit par excellence of Okinawa, and Ogimi is its largest producer in all of Japan.
The fruit is extremely acidic: It is impossible to drink shikuwasa juice without diluting it first with water. Its taste is somewhere between that of a lime and a mandarin orange, to which it bears a family resemblance.
Shikuwasas also contain high levels of nobiletin, a flavonoid rich in antioxidants.
All citrus fruits—grapefruits, oranges, lemons—are high in nobiletin, but Okinawa’s shikuwasas have forty times as much as oranges. Consuming nobiletin has been proven to protect us from arteriosclerosis, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity in general.
Shikuwasas also contain vitamins C and B₁, beta carotene, and minerals. They are used in many traditional dishes and to add flavor to food, and are squeezed to make juice. While conducting research at the birthday parties of the town’s “grandparents,” we were served shikuwasa cake.