It seems strange asking and answering this question; all of this was sorted out and overdone years ago, and has went quiet since. A new producer brings it all up again.
I'll start with the short answer, or at least my take: yes, slimming tea products are unethical.
At least in the most common form they occur in. Exceptions are possible; that's a lot of what I'm discussing here.
The main theme is using "real tea," or just other herbal ingredients, to serve as a laxative and diuretic, to cause people to lose water weight and speed up bowel movement processing. Both will cause a temporary weight loss effect, but neither is "slimming" in the sense of helping someone lose body fat, the main intended meaning. Both are relatively unhealthy, since maintaining normal digestion and appropriate hydration level is more optimum, and adjusting and disrupting these is less healthy.
What about a stimulant effect; couldn't that help with weight loss? Yes, to a limited extent. Caffeine already is a stimulant, present in every kind of "real tea," camellia sinensis based versions, and adding more of that, or that plus some other stimulant, is probably not a good idea. It doesn't really work to speed up metabolism to lose weight anyway; it's far superior to adjust diet inputs, to ingest less calories.
I can easily enough explain why that is. I run a good bit, 10 km / 6.4 miles per outing, three times a week (typically), for a total of 20 miles or 30 km per week. According to a tracking app that burns about 600 calories per outing, towards 2000 per week; that's a good start. But it's not hard at all to eat an extra 600 calories per day, and certainly not 300, working back to a weekly average. Revving up metabolism an equivalent amount through stimulants lands on the same result, that it's not helpful unless daily dietary intake and expenditure balance.
If medium-high exercise for three hours a week "only" burns up an additional 2000 calories, or about that, stacking an extra stimulant on top of ingesting caffeine would need to make a significant difference--and have potentially significant negative side effects--to achieve the same outcome. Then eating or otherwise consuming an extra 300 calories per day would be easy; it's not that much. Two cans of Coke is close to that (278); you could just drink that input daily.
So as I see it people creating, marketing, and selling "slimming tea" versions are more or less selling snake oil. At best the products wouldn't do much, and at worst laxative and diuretic effect or stimulant input would be quite negative.
Caffeine is already a diuretic too, beyond being a stimulant, so ordinary tea already covers that. People's experience of side effects vary, so not everyone would agree with that, and it requires a significant daily dose to cause that effect (water loss), but a daily recommended limit of 400 mg of caffeine will cause water loss for most people. Taking even more diuretic is not a good idea; temporarily losing water weight isn't helpful.
Some people might feel that they retain too much water, and feel bloated, so it would be good for them. An easy way to offset this is to limit intake of compounds that cause increased water retention, particularly salt (sodium). Or drinking more tea could help, and adding a bit more caffeine, which is a bit counter-intuitive, since that's ingesting more water as well. Tea is said to contain between 25 and 40 mg of caffeine per a standard 8 ounce cup (250 ml, more or less), so brewed a bit strong it might take 10 cups to ingest that standard daily limit of 400 mg, the same as in four cups of coffee (on average). 80 ounces of tea is well over 2 quarts / liters; depending on the diuretic effect experienced someone might not need to add more water to compensate, but given how it can speed up water loss some people would.
I'm not claiming that maxing out caffeine intake is definitely a good idea, to speed up metabolism and get diuretic effect to really kick in. I typically drink about 8 grams worth of tea a day, intentionally keeping that moderate, which I expect might amount to around 240 mg total (maybe less), down to 220 or less since extraction rate isn't 100%. Long term effects are impossible to predict, so to me practicing moderation makes sense, related to essentially everything we consume.
Back to the specific starting point, the ethics issue.
A new slimming tea product
Oddly that post is about discussing potential product names, and they've already set up the vending page with the product name and some marketing content, so that seems odd, and perhaps not completely genuine.
What is it they're discussing, or selling? That's not clear yet. They've implied it's based on pu'er tea, but there are no product details out yet. Maybe that plus a diuretic and laxative, the most conventional earlier form. Maybe something else. It seems unlikely that they might incorporate a formerly unknown herbal input that really helps with weight loss, but I suppose it's not inconceivable.
About that, I wrote not so long ago about how brewing ground up papaya seeds extracts a compound that suppresses fat digestion. That's not so far off the theme of an earlier supplement that did the same, which was embraced and then universally rejected for changing the consistency of the subject's stool in a negative way, making it loose and oily. That's covered in the Mayo Clinic's summary of Orlistat functions, benefits, and side effects. This problem stands out:
These side effects include:
Stomach pain or upset stomach
Oily discharge from the anus...
Yeah, no.
For sure other compounds and herbs out there support weight loss, but there is no magic fix, or it would already be on the market. Interfering with digestion is an interesting twist, seemingly more promising than stimulant effect, if an input version didn't have such problematic side effects. Hunger suppression, the effect underpinning the latest Ozempic / Semaglutide craze, is also promising.
Since we can't evaluate or critique the weight loss effect or mechanism of their product, which may or may not exist in a final form yet, let's at least consider something seemingly similar, a pu'er based weight loss support product that adds herbs to support that function, Purasana Pu'er Tea Fat Burner.
Ingredients: Pu-erh tea (Camellia sinensis), peppermint (Mentha piperata), hibiscus flower (Hibiscus sabdariffa), goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
They claim that goldenrod and rosemary are the "effective ingredients," in that sales page content, or sort of just imply that. If rosemary made a lot of difference for weight loss people would already be making tea from that. I have before, many times; it's pleasant. I didn't lose weight drinking it.
According to this reference goldenrod, which can refer to differing plant types, is a set of flowering plants used as an herb tea / tisane in early US colonial times. Wikipedia mentions this background and these uses:
Traditional medicine
Solidago virgaurea is used in a traditional kidney tonic by practitioners of herbal medicine to counter inflammation and irritation caused by bacterial infections or kidney stones.[43][44] Goldenrod is also used in some formulas for cleansing of the kidney or bladder during a healing fast, in conjunction with potassium broth and specific juices.[44] Some Native American cultures traditionally chew the leaves to relieve sore throats, and the roots to relieve toothaches.[28]
Medicinal exploration
In various assessments by the European Medicines Agency with respect to Solidago virgaurea, non-clinical data shows diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic and spasmolytic, antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer and immunomodulatory activity...
So it could be quite helpful in different uses, but is probably being utilized here as a diuretic. Note that weight loss is not included in this substantial list of potential benefits. Maybe another reference can add to that, like this Mount Sinai hospital database record:
Medicinal Uses and Indications
Goldenrod may act as a diuretic, meaning it flushes water from the body by increasing urine output. It may also reduce inflammation. However, it has not really been studied in humans.
Goldenrod is sometimes suggested for the following conditions:
Arthritis and gout
Allergies
Colds and flu
Inflammation of the bladder or urinary tract
Kidney stones
Eczema (applied to the skin)
Minor wounds (applied to the skin)
In that first Wikipedia citation they stated that "non-clinical data shows diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant..." (properties / benefits), aligning these two inputs. It's probably good for you, but that second source warns against taking it with any other compounds that have a diuretic effect, since it has such a strong related effect itself.
Diuretics (water pills): Goldenrod may make diuretics stronger, raising the risk of dehydration.
...Other drugs: Due to its diuretic action, goldenrod may interact with any medication that is processed through the kidneys and urine.
So Purasana Puerh Tea Fat Burner seems unlikely to actually help with burning fat, since pu'er and those other common herbs don't support that (most likely, to a significant degree), but it will cause water weight loss.
But first let's back up a bit; maybe rosemary really can support weight loss, and I'm just unaware of that. I had just set that aside as clearly absurd, but let's check, here: Therapeutic effects of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and its active constituents on nervous system disorders
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is an evergreen bushy shrub which grows along the Mediterranean Sea, and sub-Himalayan areas. In folk medicine, it has been used as an antispasmodic, mild analgesic, to cure intercostal neuralgia, headaches, migraine, insomnia emotional upset, and depression. Different investigations have highlighted rosemary neuropharmacological properties as their main topics.
Rosemary has significant antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-tumorigenic, antinociceptive, and neuroprotective properties. Furthermore, it shows important clinical effects on mood, learning, memory, pain, anxiety, and sleep. The aim of the current work is to review the potential neuropharmacological effects of different rosemary extracts and its active constituents on nervous system disorders, their relevant mechanisms and its preclinical application to recall the therapeutic potential of this herb and more directions of future research projects...
The focus of the following research review isn't on all potential health benefits, but this summary and the following outline of context doesn't list weight loss as any traditionally observed potential benefit:
Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Labiatae) has been used in folk medicine to alleviate several diseases including headache, dysmenorrhea, stomachache, epilepsy, rheumatic pain, spasms, nervous agitation, improvement of memory, hysteria, depression, as well as physical and mental fatigue (5, 6)... .
Recently, noticeable scientific interest is focused on the beneficial therapeutic properties of different kinds of rosemary extracts and its main constituents, such as carnosic acid, carnosol, rosmarinic acid, etc. A large number of studies either on animal models or cultured cells indicate the wide range medicinal properties of rosemary and its compounds such as anti-inflammatory (8, 9), anti-oxidant (10), antinociceptive (11), neuroprotective (12), antidepressant, anti-hysteric, ameliorative of memory and mental fatigue (13-15) (Figure 1)...
Why was it added to a weight loss support product then? Who knows, but it sounds positive enough, related to so many other effects. Maybe it helps prevent the pu'er from wrecking your stomach. That only makes sense if it's sheng pu'er, since shou is the least impactful type of tea, and one other point that comes up in a later source indicates shou might be a better match for this kind of product.
That's a dozen or so very positive effects, from these two herbs. Would you really recognize all these benefits? Probably not, based on minute dosage inputs of these and pu'er along with two other herbs. If the diuretic effect of goldenrod is strong enough that plus caffeine may have an impact.
Back to ethics
Is it really unethical to sell these products based on health claims that seem dubious at best? I think so, but it's a judgement call.
Drinking only pu'er, without any herbs, could support weight loss, if someone was replacing drinking soda, but that's not part of any "slimming tea" product claims. Water works for that.
What if there was more to it? What if they, the two younger American-Chinese business founders, were in on some sort of specialized knowledge? That is part of the claim, outlined in this earlier link:
Hey Pu'er Tea Club members,
I’m Erik, and together with my sister Angela, we’re embarking on a fascinating journey inspired by our family's deep-rooted connection to tea.
Growing up, our family's move from China to the U.S. greatly influenced our perspective on tea. It became more than a beverage; it was a bridge between cultures and eras. Our dad has spent years researching the health aspects of tea, particularly focusing on a compound in Pu'er tea known as theabrownin. His findings even made their way into the Nature Journal, an awesome achievement!
This sparked in us a desire to explore how we could blend our love for traditional Pu'er tea with modern health concepts. While we're in the early stages of conceptualizing a venture around this idea, our primary goal is to learn and grow within this space...
So could they be identifying a health benefit from a known compound, theabrownin, present in high levels in some pu'er (mostly shou, it seems), and then creating a product around that? Maybe, but probably not, since if that's all that is happening someone could just drink the pu'er, any similar range version.
As a related aside, it's not uncommon for research in some countries to be sponsored by commercial interests, for paid support to lead directly to health claims findings that can be used for marketing. Even if that hadn't been the starting point context anyone can drink pu'er, and for sure this will end up being another tea and herbs blend, with either laxative or diuretic properties, or both. Or it would be nice if that's not the case.
Let's consider what theabrownin is all about anyway. Google search brings up this study as the first result: Theabrownin modulates the gut microbiome and serum metabolome in aging mice induced by D-galactose
Theabrownin (TB) is a complex oxidized polyphenol formed during the microbial fermentation of Pu-erh tea. It offers some health benefits such as weight loss, blood glucose reduction, and oxidation resistance; however, the anti-aging effect and the related mechanism have not yet been explored. In this study, symptoms of aging were induced in mice using D-galactose. Morris water maze test, hematoxylin-eosin staining, 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing, and UHPLC-QE-MS metabolomics were used to reveal the anti-aging effects and potential mechanism of TB...
So they just throw it out there that of course it supports weight loss, but they're on to reviewing anti-aging potential in that work. Maybe that's why I look so young (but I drink young sheng the most?). The background is clear on what they're looking into, but the part about it relating to ripe or shou pu'er isn't promising to me though, as a sheng drinker:
Pu-erh tea is a traditional, historically famous tea from Yunnan, China, made from sun-dried green tea of large-leaf tea trees (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) by microbial solid-state fermentation (Liang et al., 2005, Zhao et al., 2010). It has a unique flavor, full-bodied aroma, outstanding aging aroma, and is a bright red soup with a mellow taste. TB is one of the essential active ingredients of Pu-erh tea. The content of TB in Pu-erh ripe tea can reach 16.86%, which is the primary color substance of Pu-erh ripe tea and plays a decisive role in its quality and function (Qin et al., 2009)...
[in later conclusions]...Drinking Pu-erh ripe tea can produce a variety of metabolic changes in the human body that are linked to the intestinal flora. Therefore, it is suggested that drinking pu-erh tea may change and adjust the structure of intestinal flora (Qasim, Aziz, Rasheed, Gul, & Khan, 2016)...
The linked claims here seem clear enough: shou pu'er supports healthy digestion function, which carries over to a range of benefits, all the way to supporting longevity and mental health in later life. How this ties to weight loss isn't clear in this paper; maybe that's a completely unrelated additional positive effect. Maybe well-aged sheng could mirror this compound inclusion and final effect; that would all be the subject of another study.
One more aside, they were using Dayi shou for the tests; nice. Some aged CNNP / Zhong Cha would also be pleasant, but it's good that it worked using a newer version "(label No.7262, batch No.1801, produced on July 5, 2018)." With that published in February 2022 it had probably had a few years to lose that early funky character, which I can't imagine changes the weight loss or anti-aging effects.
It's not inconceivable that some mix of shou pu'er and herbs could provide some new set of inputs and effects, even though I've been skeptical of that being remotely possible in this discussion. It would really only be possible to question or dismiss any specific set of claims based on product information and review of related effects from ingredient inputs.
If those entrepreneurs turned up some supposedly traditional Chinese tea and herb blend recipe said to cause weight loss I would still be skeptical, but that couldn't be automatically dismissed. The Indian Ayurvedic tradition seems to draw on those themes in a parallel way, on a mix of herb inputs or foods accomplishing what any one alone does not cause. That does seem to be what Traditional Chinese Medicine was always about, combining a range of supporting inputs, not this one-to-one cause and effect sort of sequence that we focus on more in "the West," in terms of supplements, medicine, and other health inputs.
The only claim and background communicated so far relates to modern, relatively Western-style research study, and from the little I've reviewed, or that they have mentioned. It only relates to drinking fermented / shou pu'er, somewhat explicitly, but even that is indirect. Even if shou does happen to cause weight loss drinking Dayi already covers that, or any standard source brand. If this new product is just shou pu'er with extra herbs to function as a diuretic and laxative it will follow the prior pattern, and won't be worth much consideration.
I hope that it's not that, that they create something novel, interesting, and useful.
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