Drinking it directly benefits your stomach and intestines!: Decoding 2 Simple Ways to Identify Authentic “Bitter Tea Seed Oil”

Reported and photographed by reporter Tsai Wen-jun / Nantou

With frequent food safety scandals, after the infamous gutter oil incident in late 2014, many consumers have become wary of buying or consuming low-quality oils.“Bitter tea seed oil,”which can be consumed directly and is often dubbed the “Oriental olive oil,”

has seen its demand growing steadily. However, how can you tell if what you’re looking at is genuine bitter tea seed oil? Local farmers from the Qingliu Tribe in Nantou also offer two simple identification methods for consumers’ reference.

Pu-Hok Biiv, the general manager of the Qingliu Community Development Association in Ren’ai Township, Nantou, stated that the production of bitter tea seed oil here claims to be the highest in the world, with an output of about 2,000 tons, followed by those from Xinyi Township and Alishan.

▲ Nantou’s Qingliu Tribe, with vast rice fields and mountain forests, is home to the Seediq people.Biiv pointed out,The most distinctive feature of bitter tea seed oil is that it can be consumed directly and is highly beneficial for the stomach and intestines. After drinking bitter tea seed oil, it moistens the stomach lining and helps repair the gastric mucosa. Therefore, it has traditionally been regarded as a health tonic for the stomach.

Biiv recommends drinking a sip of bitter tea seed oil directly in the morning, or using it as a mouthwash, which can also alleviate the pain caused by oral ulcers—though overconsumption should be avoided.

The Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute also suggests that besides direct consumption, one can also toss noodles or rice directly with bitter tea seed oil, or make bitter tea seed oil chicken soup, all of which allow one to enjoy the essence of the oil without damaging its properties.If

you want to distinguish between genuine and fake bitter tea seed oil, local farmers from the Qingliu Tribe also provide two identification methods:
1. Pure bitter tea seed oil only comes in one color: a light golden yellow with a hint of green.

2. Pour a little oil into the cap of a bottle, tie one end of a long strand of hair to form a small circle with a diameter of about 1 cm, dip the hair into the oil in the cap, and then lift it up. Authentic bitter tea seed oil will form a thin film on the small circle.

▲ The large and small fruit oil-tea camellia fruits used to produce bitter tea seed oil.Fun Fact:
Why is bitter tea seed oil called the “Oriental olive oil”?

Bitter tea seed oil contains a 1:1 ratio of monounsaturated to polyunsaturated fatty acids—the highest among all plant oils—which is why it’s referred to as the “Oriental olive oil.” It also helps lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol in the human body, and has traditionally been regarded as a health tonic for the stomach.