It does sound like a green tea brew. If it really is the green tea baimudan, I think it is better for you not to drink it too regularly because of your leg osmosis concern.
Some green and black tea do not help the problem, some may worsen it. In my own observation, the best teas that may deal with the problem in some people are:
- White tea baimudan;
- traditional oolongs (as opposite to modern oolongs): eg Wuyi, Phoenix, etc, as opposite to green tieguanyin, new style Taiwan oolongs etc;
- Shengcha puer, but this is not suitable for weaker stomachs and people who are sensitive to TCM chilling substances, such as women during menstruation
However, I have not done any systematic studies of this; only observation from customers and friends; and through my understanding of the different teas.
One thing I do know however, is that certain not properly produced green baimudan do exaggerate problems in water retention so it may not be a good idea to drink it too regularly. Having said that though, many other food and beverage items do that even more seriously than any tea, eg beer, sodas, certain salads, fruits etc. Depressing, isn’t it?
On the bright side, it is only great to know the true nature of the things that we have all taken for granted so much. It’s rather like swimming, or riding a bike, once the true nature of a thing is well mastered, you can enjoy it to its best extent, when you know how your body is integrating with it.
