Tips For Healthy Tea Consumption

Tea is not only a beloved companion in our daily lives but also a silent guide through the labyrinth of our minds.

While we seek both physiological pleasure and psychological cultivation in the process of drinking tea, it has evolved over thousands of years into a profound and extensive culture, benefiting every tea enthusiast.

Drinking tea is beneficial, but it's essential to drink tea scientifically to avoid any adverse effects. Here are some tips for a scientific approach to tea drinking:

1. Avoid Too Strong Tea: Strong tea can overly excite the body, adversely affecting the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Those with heart conditions may experience rapid heartbeat or even arrhythmia after drinking strong tea, leading to recurrent health issues.

2. Don’t Drink Tea Before Bedtime: Especially for those new to tea drinking, consuming tea before sleep can make it difficult to fall asleep and even affect mental state the next day. Those with neurasthenia or insomnia should be particularly cautious.

3. Be Moderate with Tea During Meals: Drinking a small amount of tea before or during meals is generally fine, but consuming a large amount or very strong tea can interfere with the absorption of major elements like calcium and trace elements like iron and zinc.

4. Tea After Alcohol is Harmful: After drinking alcohol, ethanol enters the bloodstream and is converted in the liver. Drinking tea afterward can cause the caffeine in tea to stimulate diuresis, leading to kidney irritation and potential kidney disease for those who habitually consume strong tea after alcohol.

5. Fresh Tea Isn’t Always Best: Nutritionally, the freshest tea leaves aren't always the best. New tea, picked less than a month ago, hasn't had time for certain substances that can negatively affect the body, like polyphenols and aldehydes, to fully oxidize. Drinking fresh tea for an extended period can lead to discomfort like diarrhea or bloating.

6. For Nervous Exhaustion or Insomnia: The caffeine in tea can excessively excite the central nervous system, making it difficult to rest.

7. When Suffering from Gastric Ulcers: Drinking large amounts of tea before or after meals can dilute gastric juices and affect digestion. For ulcer patients, it's advisable to drink less tea, especially strong tea.

8. For Heart Disease or Hypertension: Excessive tea drinking can increase heart workload, causing a faster heart rate and elevated blood pressure, which is particularly harmful to those with heart conditions or hypertension.

9. For Arteriosclerosis: The bioactive substances in tea can increase brain cortex excitability, causing vasoconstriction and reduced blood supply, potentially leading to thrombosis and coronary artery spasms.

10. During Anemia: Tannic acid in tea can precipitate dietary iron, making it less absorbable. Iron is vital for red blood cell production, and a lack of it can lead to iron-deficiency anemia.

11. When Lacking Calcium or Healing from Fractures: Alkaloids in tea can inhibit calcium absorption in the duodenum and promote calcium excretion in urine, leading to calcium deficiency and osteoporosis, complicating fracture healing.

12. During Gout: Tannic acid in tea can worsen the condition, so it's advisable to avoid drinking too much tea, especially strong tea brewed for too long.

13. During Osteoporosis: Recent research has found that a predilection for strong tea is a significant cause of osteoporosis. Regular consumption can lead to calcium deficiency, as caffeine promotes urinary calcium excretion and inhibits intestinal calcium absorption.

Tea contains various vitamins and amino acids, and while it has its benefits like clearing greasiness, enhancing nerve stimulation, and aiding digestion and diuresis, more is not always better. Remember to drink tea scientifically, allowing it to better serve our well-being.