Exotic tea can be good for many maladies

Tea lovers rejoice. At The Healing Tree Apothecary and Tea Bar in Thousand Oaks, tea in every flavor, strength and blend is available in a cozy atmosphere oozing with Eastern flair and serenity.

The shop, owned by Lenny Lam, offers more than soothing teas, tasty tonics and full-flavored smoothies with blends from China, India, South America and other distant lands. Natural herbal remedies for every ailment can also be found and are dispensed with expert advice from Lam and his son, Moe, who studied ancient herbal medicine at Emperor's College in Santa Monica.

Loose tea is found in large jars at the store. At $300 per pound, Golden Flower Green Tea is the most expensive, but there are plenty of other fine teas and herbs to choose from that are easier on the wallet.

Lam said the cost of tea is determined by its processing. Delicate teas must be picked during their first spring bloom. Expensive teas like Golden Flower also present a short harvesting window-about two to three weeks, according to Lam. Another reason for the high price of certain teas is that only the tops of their plants are picked.

TEA FOR YOU-Lenny Lam, a student of ancient herbal medicine, displays one of the dozens of therapeutic teas available at his father's shop, The Healing Tree Apothecary and Tea Bar in the Thousand Oaks Palm Plaza at 2711 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. "A lot of care has to be taken not to damage tea," Lam said.

The quality of tea degrades when the leaves are harvested further down on the plant, Lam said, and finer teas also have to be processed manually, which includes hand-tying the leaves.

The Carnation Strong Stem Tea, for example, appears to be dried flowers, but the tea leaves inside, once steeped, open up to create a full-bodied and very aromatic tea.

The loose White Tea is downy-the leaves actually appear to be a little fuzzy white. Lam said white tea is popular because it's low in caffeine and high in antioxidants, which ward off viral and bacterial conditions and have anti-cancer properties.

Another popular choice among customers, Lam said, is green tea that is known for its high antioxidant properties and is often used to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Oolong tea, which Lam said is a blend "somewhere in between green and black tea," increases metabolism because it has caffeine. He said that people often drink oolong to "slim down."

Black and red teas, Lam said, have the most caffeine.

Some teas are so unique that they go through a fermentation process, sometimes taking from five to 20 years before they're ready for sale. Lam said that Golden Pu-erh Tea is one such tea. "It's not unlike wine," he said.

Even though some of the rarer blends of tea are expensive, Lam said, "T-sacs" used to steep loose tea can be reused three or four times.

More economical teas abound, including Dang Shen, which Moe called a "poor man's ginseng," said to boost energy levels.

Lam said his shop offers more than 100 teas from around the world, including China, Tibet, India, Sri Lanka, Japan and South Africa.

Moe displayed drawers filled with fresh roots and herbs. He estimated that the store offers between 200 and 300 different herbal remedies.

Dang Gui looks like bark, but over the centuries the herb has been found to ease menopausal symptoms. Moe said that Dang Gui balances hormones, regulates the digestive tract and nourishes blood.

The most unusual herb sold at the store is Huang Qi, which look like popsicle sticks, smells simultaneously bitter and sweet, and according to Moe, has the power to stimulate bone marrow and generate white blood cells.

"(Huang Qi) is good for patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation," Moe said.

Prior to recommending any herbal treatments to customers, Moe said, he conducts a formal diagnosis in the Eastern tradition. He first holds a questionand-answer session with customers seeking an herbal remedy to determine what drugs have already been prescribed for their condition, their life habits, problems and concerns. He then examines their tongue, eyes, complexion, ears and pulse before he suggests an herbal blend.

"Chinese medicine looks at patterns versus compartmentalized Western medicine," Moe said.

A testimonial book sits on the counter for customers to note their satisfaction with the products and service at the tea bar.

One customer said that her blood pressure was 180/80 before she tried the Tian Ma Gou Teng Pian, an herbal remedy for hypertension. After using it, the customer said, her blood pressure dropped to 120/70.

Lenny Lam said his new business, which opened only four months ago, has been well received by the community.

"We've had a lot of word-ofmouth (business) and repeat customers," Lam said.

Prior to opening the tea bar, Lam worked as a vice president of an import company.

Since Moe had already studied Eastern medicine in college, he decided to join his father in opening the store.

"I might as well put what I know to use," Moe said.

"There's a need here," his father said, adding that people suffer from stress-related health issues that can be eased with a holistic approach.

The shop also offers a variety of gift items from around the world, including health-related items, books, vitamins, soaps all for the "body, mind and spirit," Lam said.

"When you walk in the door, the healing process starts," Lam said.

The Healing Tree Apothecary and Tea Bar is in the Palm Plaza, 2711 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. in Thousand Oaks. For more information, call (805) 497-4438.