The Chinese tea history of Pu'er tea is fascinating.During it's height of popularity Pu'r tea was freely traded and even used as money for the bartering of goods. Premium Pu'er tea was offered as a tribute tea to the Emperor of China and to this day Pu'er tea remains a highly valuable commodity. Pu-erh tea is revered in China as a traditional medicinal tea with many health benefits. In traditional Chinese herbalism, pu-erh tea is considered to open the meridians, 'warm the middle burner' (the spleen and stomach) and be beneficial to 'blood cleansing' and digestion. For these reasons, it is often consumed after heavy meals or drunk as a hangover cure / preventative.