So does tea really hurt the stomach?

How can drinking it hurt the stomach?

Is there a way to drink it without hurting the stomach?

So how can tea nourish the stomach?

Does tea nourish the stomach?

With these questions, we begin our journey today.

To understand clearly, we must first have an objective mindset and seriously understand our stomach.

The stomach is a sturdy pouch located in the upper abdomen below the lungs.

The wall of this pouch is called the gastric wall, composed of 3 layers of tissue: the inner layer is the mucosal layer, the middle is the muscle layer, and the outer layer is the serosal layer. The mucosal layer has gastric glands responsible for secreting mucus, gastric acid, and pepsin.

Gastric acid is very acidic, typically with a pH around 3; when food enters the stomach, gastric acid secretion increases significantly, lowering the pH in the stomach to below 2. Pepsin functions to digest and break down proteins. Mucus is a gel-like bicarbonate barrier that lubricates and isolates, separating the mucosal epithelium from gastric acid and pepsin, protecting the mucosa from corrosion by gastric acid and digestion by pepsin.

So, what exactly is the impact of drinking tea on the stomach?

First, drinking tea can replenish water. When the body is sufficiently hydrated, the mucus secreted by the mucosa will be ample, providing better protection for the mucosal epithelium.

Second, the pH of tea is mostly between 5.5 and 7, which is weakly acidic. Compared to the strong acidity of gastric acid, it is insignificant and will not irritate the gastric mucosa nor neutralize gastric acid.

Third, tea contains caffeine, which has a brief stimulating effect on the central nervous system, thereby promoting the secretion of gastric juice and gastrointestinal peristalsis, aiding digestion—hence the saying "tea aids digestion." However, if there is no food in the stomach, excess gastric acid will inevitably irritate the gastric mucosa, causing a burning or stinging discomfort. Therefore, avoiding drinking tea on an empty stomach is something to be mindful of.

Of course, if you drink green tea long-term, it might not be very good for the stomach; green tea should be consumed in moderation. If you have a hot constitution with a lot of internal heat, drinking more green tea to expel fire and detoxify is not bad.

If your stomach is cool, drinking some warm-natured tea will certainly make your stomach happy and willing to work hard!

Therefore, for anyone, it is not recommended to drink only one type of tea for a long time. It is advised to drink the six major types of tea scientifically. Drink according to the seasons—non-fermented, lightly fermented, semi-fermented, fully-fermented—drink according to warmth and coolness, and drink according to morning, noon, and evening each day.

The key to a good stomach is mental state, as spirit directly affects physical health, even illness.

You might have damaged it by eating or drinking poorly, but your illness may stem from pressure, from your mental state.

We are only talking about the stomach today.

Because the stomach is jointly innervated by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. When the body is in a calm state, parasympathetic nerve excitation dominates, which is conducive to the digestion and absorption of nutrients and the replenishment of energy; when the body is in an excited state or a poor environment, sympathetic nerve activity strengthens, mobilizing the potential and adaptive capacity of body organs to cope with drastic environmental changes and maintain the relative stability of the internal environment.

Therefore, the coordination of neural activity, including whether life is regular, sleep is sufficient, emotional fluctuations, and whether stress is balanced, are all crucial to the function and health of the stomach.

If drinking tea can help you regulate your emotions and release stress, then it not only does not hurt the stomach but is instead a good helper in promoting stomach health.