DR. TEA THINKS OUTSIDE THE BAG.

Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer

Mark Ukra comes across as a combination of evangelist, motivational speaker and that special breed of science teacher who is able to relate his subject with great gusto and clarity. His passion: tea.

Black, white, green, oolong.

``What I just told you is unlocking the secrets of the tea plant,'' he says after a detailed, high-energy narrative on the natural chemical gifts in its leaves. ``Because it's not me speaking. It is tea saying, `Please, please, here I am. Why aren't you drinking me?'''

It seems nothing would make him happier than Americans acting on the steady stream of medical research touting tea's ability to reduce the risk of many illnesses, from cancer and diabetes to heart disease and stroke. Tea, a staple in the rest of the world, currently ranks only eighth among Americans' favorite beverages, according to the American Beverage Association. And it's most often made with low-quality tea bags and too much sugar or -- gasp! -- instant powder.

Ukra has studied his subject as thoroughly as a graduate student, although his nickname, Dr. Tea, was bestowed not by a university but by kids during a ``tea for tots'' program he hosted. He shops for teas throughout Asia, then blends them with unusual ingredients like a four-star chef creating a buzz-worthy entree. And he campaigns on behalf of tea with the zeal of one born again in the shade of Camellia sinensis plants.

Steep tariff

Ukra is the owner of West Hollywood's Tea Garden & Herbal Emporium, which has evolved from a quiet haven to an alt-cafe for the famous and the famously health-conscious, a few of whom are willing to plunk down $300 a pot (or $490 an ounce if you want to take some home with you) for his rare 1952 Pu-Ehr tea, the only variety that actually improves with age. His regulars include actors Meg Ryan and Danny Glover, ex-Laker John Salley and Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

From the sidewalk on Beverly Boulevard, its screens of potted bamboo and its weathered deck suggest a tranquil atmosphere. But from the crisp orange decor to the rousing greeting each customer receives, it's clear that this tea room's purpose is neither deep meditation nor polite chit-chat over scones. It's about vitality.

The tao of tea

``I'm so passionate because it's not about buying my tea,'' Ukra says. ``It's about spreading the word of tea, and there's no reason tea should be only for the pinkies-up crowd.''

Like an infomercial host, Ukra pulls products from his shelves -- in shiny silver canisters with hand-written labels -- and talks quickly:

``Smell that -- Tahitian vanilla!'' ``Here, this is great for watching the game Monday night.'' ``This one's called Purple Lady.'' ``Next I'm going to make you a Tea-na Colada.'' The roar of the blender overpowers the gentle hiss of the hot-water dispenser.

He picks up the tape recorder and addresses it directly to emphasize key points, such as the myth that coffee can help in weight loss. Actually, he says, one of the acids in coffee raises blood sugar, causing the body to trap triglycerides, a finding reported in 2003 in the Nutrition Journal. That's fat that won't burn off no matter what.

The caffeine connection

Tea contains caffeine, but the body reacts to it differently from coffee because of L-theanine, an amino acid in tea that he says promotes ``focused, meditative energy'' in the brain's alpha waves to counteract the fight-or-flight beta wave response to the caffeine.

Ukra, whose father was a tea importer in Iraq, says the tea business goes back hundreds of years in his family. He is a cheerleader among a growing number of medical specialists encouraging frequent tea drinking.

Dr. Steven Pratt, a La Jolla-based ophthalmologist and co-author with Kathy Matthews of ``SuperFoods HealthStyle: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health,'' says studies have tied green tea to prevention of macular degeneration as well as cataracts.

Research also has shown that polyphenols in green tea can boost a mouth's healthy bacteria while targeting the dangerous strains that cause gingivitis.

Past studies have credited green tea with inhibiting blood flow to cancerous tumors, with altering the tumors' genetic makeup and with improving the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs.

In fact, a large study in Japan published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association found significant benefits for green-tea drinkers in preventing cardiovascular disease but a less-direct relationship to cancer cases. Some past studies are being called into question because other variables may have influenced their results, such as diet, exercise habits, family history, smoking and environmental factors.

But Dr. Tea is undaunted. He talks of the book he's writing (``Put Down That Cup of Coffee, It's Time to Spill the Beans: I'm Starbucking the System,'') and a pilot program to set up a tea kiosk on the UCLA campus to convert those Red Bull drinkers. His teas are behind the bar in the just-opened Manhattan restaurant Gin Lane, where the bartenders use them for cocktails with a healthy kick. He would like to see research on whether alcohol mixed with tea is any less harmful to the liver than a common cocktail.

What the faithful say

His customers swear by the positive effects of tea.

``I never leave there feeling anything but fantastic,'' says actor Barry Shabaka Henley, a fan of several teas and some herbal elixirs Ukra offers.

``It has changed my life,'' said writer Jason Nash, who credits his new tea habit with helping him shed 15 pounds since January. ``It replaces the cookies and candies I used to eat.''

Sitcom writer Eric Friedman spends hours at a time in the Tea Garden with his laptop. ``When I'm drinking tea, I definitely have more clarity, and it gives me energy without the crash.''

Medical experts caution against expecting miracles from tea consumption.

``There's no such thing as a perfect study,'' Pratt said. ``But the incredibly overwhelming weight of evidence is that tea is good for you.''

Ukra puts it plainly: ``Buy the tea you love, drink the tea you love, get healthier one cup at a time.''

Valerie Kuklenski, [phone]

[e-mail]

A guide to tea varieties and processes

When it comes to health benefits, green tea seems to grab the glory.

But Mark Ukra says whether you're brewing black, white, green or oolong, they all come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, and they all contain antioxidants, polyphenols and other properties that can promote health. What distinguishes them is the processing of the leaves and leaf buds after harvest.

White tea: Named for the hao, or the white hair, on the bud. For this variety, the bud and two leaves beneath it are picked, cleaned and dried. ``When the bud becomes a full leaf, it opens up, and the hao spreads through the cells and creates the polyphenols,'' Ukra says. ``If they merely clean it and dry it, that's your white tea.'' He says it has the highest level of antioxidants, naturally rejuvenates collagen in skin and is believed to reduce the risk of colon, stomach and prostate cancers.

Green tea: As with white tea, the bud and leaves are picked, cleaned and dried. Japanese green tea is then steamed, resulting in a fresh-vegetable shade of green, while Chinese green tea is heated in a clean, dry wok, which gives the tea a bluish cast. In both cases, the heating process is used to halt fermentation that begins where the leaf is pulled from the stem and its oil reacts to oxygen. Green tea is credited with slowing the aging process, reducing cancer risks, lowering cholesterol, burning calories, balancing blood sugar and preventing tooth decay.

Oolong: After the harvesting, cleaning and drying, the leaves and buds are put in bamboo baskets with fans blowing beneath them for 30 minutes to one hour. This withering process makes the leaves malleable so they can be rolled into balls, cracking the membranes and promoting fermentation. ``That's why oolong is considered the champagne of teas,'' Ukra says. Many oolongs are grown in the mountains of Taiwan.

Black tea: It's cleaned, dried and withered like oolong but left out longer so the oxidation during the fermenting process advances the color from the blue-green of oolong to black. It is commonly chopped before sale.

-- V.K.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Drink to your Health

Can tea cure what ails you?

(2 -- color) Top: Mark Ukra keeps his hot-weather business humming with a line of blended FrosTeas. Among the most popular chillers is the Iced CapaTeano, which marries oolong darkened in a coffee roaster with dark-chocolate flavored stevia extract.

(3 -- color) Above: Most of Dr. Tea's blends sell for $8 to $20 a pot, which can be resteeped five to 10 times during a leisurely visit. But the one everybody talks about, if very few order, is the top of his Pu-Ehr line. While most teas should be consumed while fresh, like a finely mellowed port, the Guang Yun Gong Bin Pu-Ehr is at its prime when carefully stored for decades. Tea Garden's most precious is this 1952 tea cake, which sells for $490 per dry ounce, and brews into a tea that sells for $300 per pot, $50 per to-go cup. He says most who buy it make it a special occasion, bringing in a group of friends and sharing 20 or more steeps from a single pot.

(4 -- color) Above: George Lamoureux is the master herbalist at Tea Garden, dispensing elixirs and powders aimed at boosting health or easing ailments, from jet lag to joint pain.

(5 -- color) Below right: Dr. Tea mixes black, white, green or oolong tea with sometimes uncommon ingredients, including lychee, pineapple or rosebuds, to create varieties of flavor.

Box:

A guide to tea varieties and processes (see text)