Cyclocarya paliurus

Cyclocarya paliurus is a tree that can be 30 m tall and belongs to the Juglandaceae botanical family.

Native to eastern and central China, it grows in moist mountainous forests.

The sweet tea made with its leaves is a well-known native health tea in China, traditionally used to treat obesity and diabetes

Research shows an antioxidant activity and a hypoglycaemic activity of its leaves, concluding that it might be used as a new remedy for diabetes. It is also said to have a strong inhibition effect on the growth of human gastric cancer HeLa cells.

Amongs its main constituents are: polysaccharides, protein, amino acids, glutamic acid, asparagic acid, leucine, glycine, arginine, tyrosine and alanine. Specific flavonoids are quercetin- and kaempferol-glucuronide.

• English name Sweet tea tree
• French name Cyclocarier de Chine
• Chinese name Qing qian liu