Introduction: In daily life, many people enjoy drinking Tea, such as floral teas, Black Tea, and Green Tea, and Drinking Tea can bring benefits to the body.

What Benefits Does Drinking Tea Bring to the Body?

1. There is a blood pressure-lowering effect. Tea contains catechins, a unique component in tea that has antioxidant properties, which can lower cholesterol levels in the blood and prevent an increase in blood pressure. To some extent, it can also inhibit platelet aggregation, making it particularly suitable for individuals with high blood pressure.

2. It has a stimulating effect. Tea contains catechins and oxidized condensation products, which can make the caffeine in the tea act more slowly and continuously, playing a role in refreshing the mind and lifting the spirits. Therefore, many people choose to drink tea when they are feeling tired, which indeed has some effect.

3. It has a strengthening effect on the heart. Tea contains theobromine and caffeine, which can have a certain effect on the heart, helping to promote atrial contractions, dilate coronary arteries, and increase the amount of blood flowing into the heart, which is beneficial for improving heart function.

Drinking tea does bring many benefits to the body, but many people do not pay attention to certain precautions when drinking tea. If consumed improperly, it can actually cause health problems. What should we pay attention to when drinking tea normally? Let's explore this together today.

What Kind of Tea Should Not Be Drunk?

In life, some friends have a lot of tea, and improper storage can easily cause the tea to spoil. How can we determine if the tea is no longer suitable for consumption?

We primarily use two methods for identification: “smelling” and “tasting.” Smelling involves checking whether there is any unusual odor in the tea. This unusual odor mainly includes:

1. Smoky smell. If you smell a smoky scent in the tea, it is usually spoiled tea.

2. Moldy smell. Good microorganisms will only make the tea emit a comfortable aged aroma, such as lotus fragrance, ginseng fragrance, jujube fragrance, or fruity fragrance. Bad molds will give the tea a moldy smell, which indicates spoiled tea.

3. Burnt smell. This could be due to excessive high-temperature processing or spoilage. However, regardless of the situation, the quality of the tea has seriously deteriorated, so it is best not to drink it.

Tasting the tea involves brewing the tea for identification.

Apart from the above odors, you can also observe whether the leaves at the bottom of the cup have lost their elasticity and whether the tea itself is very fragile.

If these conditions are present, it is best not to continue drinking it, as it can easily cause damage to your body.

Principles for Timing of Drinking Tea

Tea is a good thing, but it is not suitable to drink at all times.

First, do not drink tea within half an hour before or after meals.

Before and after meals, we need to ensure the body's ability to accept and digest food, and tea will consume substances and energy that should be more involved in digestion. Drinking tea immediately before or after meals over the long term can easily disrupt the balance within the body and cause damage to the stomach.

Second, do not drink tea on an empty stomach.

Drinking tea on an empty stomach can easily cause “tea drunkenness,” characterized by a dizzy head, palpitations, and general discomfort. If you must drink tea, be sure to eat some tea snacks first, such as biscuits, sweets, nuts, and other small foods, to prevent the occurrence of “tea drunkenness.”

Third, do not drink tea during illness.

If you drink tea while taking medication during illness, the properties of the tea may conflict with those of the medicine, interfering with treatment effectiveness. During illness, our bodies require more rest, and drinking tea can lead to excitement, affecting the quality of rest.

Do not eat fruit while drinking tea.

Eating fruit while drinking tea can sometimes cause bloating, diarrhea, or discomfort in the stomach, so it is best not to eat fruit while drinking tea.

When dining out, it is customary to start with tea, then proceed to the main meal, and finish with fruit. However, this is not very scientific. We already know that drinking tea before a meal can affect digestion, and if you drink tea, your stomach will not have much space left, easily sending a signal to the brain that you are full. However, by the end of the feast, your stomach might be empty. Therefore, it is recommended to have fruit before the meal and tea afterward. Eating some fruit before the meal will get the stomach started, and then eating the main course will not cause any issues. After the meal, everyone can chat and have some tea, which is more appropriate.

Basic Principles for Elderly People Drinking Tea

The elderly should appropriately reduce their intake of tea. Since the elderly generally have less sleep, drinking tea can cause excitement, preventing them from getting adequate sleep, which would increase the burden on their bodies. Additionally, drinking tea can also stimulate the heart and blood pressure.

However, if the elderly are healthy and do not suffer from insomnia, moderate tea drinking is not a problem. When the elderly drink tea, they should especially avoid binge-drinking, meaning they should not drink too much tea at once or frequently drink tea. When drinking tea, they can choose types that are gentler on the stomach, such as black tea or ripe Pu'er tea, and add milk or honey to the tea to neutralize its effects. Drinking tea using a small cup is also recommended, with one or two cups (about 500 ml) in the morning and afternoon.

Anything we put in our mouths can have the opposite effect if consumed incorrectly, and tea is no exception.