Like you, we’ve read all the ridiculous claims about products to help you drop pounds overnight. But we’ve also uncovered research that shows this one tea can help you lose weight. And you’ve probably never heard of it.

It contains a distinct compound that makes fat vanish. And new research proves it works for humans.

The research was led by Kazumitsu Kubota at Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital in Japan. He’s spent years studying heart disease and obesity. But this may be his most important finding yet.

Kubota believes the tea is “useful for weight control and prevention of obesity development in humans.”

If you look at the body of research, it makes sense. Preliminary studies from Taiwan and China already confirmed this tea helps animals shed pounds.

Now this study published in Nutrition Research takes it a step further.

Lose Weight in Just 12 Weeks

The weight loss tea is called Pu-erh tea. It’s a Chinese specialty tea that’s produced in Yunnan province. It’s known there as a dark tea. That’s because it undergoes a fermentation process before the leaves are dried.

Kubota studied the tea on 36 overweight men and women in their 50s. They all ate a similar diet. Half the group drank the tea three times a day. The other half drank a placebo. The study lasted a total of 12 weeks.

After the study completed, the Pu-erh tea group lost more weight. And four weeks after, their weight had stayed off.

Kubota says the tea helped reduce waist size, body mass index, and “visceral fat values.”

Dropping visceral fat is the key finding here. It’s the fat that’s stored in the abdomen. Research has linked it to heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s.

One Component at Work

Kubota believes Pu-erh tea delivers a high amount of one helpful component.

Previous studies have shown that gallic acid is a safe way to help you lose weight. Research in animal models published in the Journal of Oleo Science shows that a gallic acid mixture “promoted weight-loss effectively.” Another study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food says gallic acid is safe and “well tolerated.”

Gallic acid is an organic acid that has anti-fungal and anti-viral abilities. It’s also a potent antioxidant and some evidence shows it may fight cancer cells.

Pu-erh tea contains some of the highest levels of gallic acid…likely a result of its unique fermentation process.

You can buy the tea online or at a specialized tea shop. Try to drink it three times a day for the best results.

You can also get it in supplement form. Pu-erh tea vegi-caps are available online. It’s generally marketed as a weight-loss supplement.