Eight Taboos of Drinking Tea
Taboo 1: Never drink tea on an empty stomach.
Drinking tea on an empty stomach dilutes stomach acid, inhibits gastric juice secretion, hinders digestion, and may even cause "tea drunkenness" symptoms such as heart palpitations, headaches, stomach discomfort, dizziness, and irritability. It also affects protein absorption and can cause gastritis. If "tea drunkenness" occurs, sucking on candy or drinking some sugar water can alleviate symptoms.
Taboo 2: Don't drink large amounts of tea before or after meals.
Many people habitually drink tea immediately after meals while admiring the moon, but it's not advisable to drink tea within about 20 minutes before or after eating. Drinking tea during this time dilutes gastric juice, affects food digestion, and because tea contains oxalic acid, it reacts with iron and protein in food, affecting the body's absorption of these nutrients.
Taboo 3: Don't drink tea before bedtime.
It's best not to drink tea within 2 hours before sleep. Tea can cause mental excitement that affects sleep quality and may cause insomnia, especially freshly picked green tea, which can easily overstimulate nerves and lead to sleeplessness.
Taboo 4: Don't drink tea that's unsuitable for you.
For example, while tea drinkers have personal preferences, those with stomach problems generally should avoid green tea. From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, green tea tends to generate cold energy, essentially because its tea polyphenols aren't oxidized and have stronger stimulating effects. Meanwhile, black tea undergoes partial oxidation of tea polyphenols during processing, making it less irritating to the stomach and more warming. Therefore, people with stomach issues are better off choosing black tea. Some prefer strongly brewed tea, which might suit them personally, but most people should avoid drinking tea that's too strong.
Taboo 5: Children shouldn't drink strong tea.
When tea leaves are highly concentrated, they contain excessive amounts of tea polyphenols that can easily react with iron in food, hindering iron absorption and potentially causing iron deficiency anemia in children. Children can drink mild tea in moderation.
Taboo 6: Avoid tea during pregnancy.
Note that if you're pregnant, try to avoid drinking tea, particularly strong tea. Tea contains substantial amounts of tea polyphenols, caffeine, and other substances that can adversely affect fetal development. Pregnant women should drink little or no tea.
Taboo 7: Restrictions for those with high uric acid.
People with high uric acid levels, such as gout sufferers, should limit their tea consumption. The tannic acid in tea competes with uric acid for excretion, thereby affecting uric acid elimination. Therefore, gout patients especially should avoid strong tea.
Taboo 8: Don't take medication with tea.
The tannic acid in tea can chemically react with many medications, significantly reducing or completely negating their effectiveness. Many traditional Chinese medicines, such as ginseng, coptis, phellodendron, and corydalis, also shouldn't be taken with tea to avoid reduced efficacy. When unsure which medications might react with tea components, it's safest not to use tea beverages to take any drugs or traditional Chinese medicine.