In the hot summer weather, many people like to drink tea in the shade to relieve the heat. However, what you may not know is that drinking the right tea for the specific occasion, your constitution, and your age is crucial for better health. Otherwise, it might cause physical discomfort or even worsen your condition. Let's explore together how to drink tea in a healthier way.

What Tea to Drink on Different Occasions

■ After Drinking Alcohol: Drink Kudzu Flower Tea

Drinking a small amount of alcohol daily has some benefits, but excessive drinking each time can be particularly harmful to the body, especially damaging the digestive tract and liver. Long-term heavy drinking significantly increases the risk of cirrhosis and fatty liver.

Recommended Tip: After drinking alcohol, it is recommended to brew kudzu flowers into tea. Kudzu flowers, the blossoms of the kudzu root, have sobering properties. Additionally, eating fruits high in vitamin C while drinking can somewhat reduce the harm of alcohol to the body. B vitamins protect the digestive system and can also be supplemented appropriately. For daily liver protection, you can try white chrysanthemum tea and wolfberry tea, as both white chrysanthemum and wolfberry have liver-cleaning and protective effects. Finger citron flowers and roses can soothe the liver and regulate qi, making them good choices for herbal tea as well.

Health Reminder: It's important to note that drinking strong tea or excessive tea after alcohol can increase the burden on the heart and kidneys. Research from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Royal College of Physicians of London indicates that drinking a small amount of tea after alcohol can supplement vitamin C, and the caffeine in tea leaves has a diuretic effect, helping to expel alcohol from the body quickly. Therefore, drink light tea in moderation after alcohol, ideally keeping it under 200 milliliters.

■ For Smokers: Drink Monk Fruit Tea

Smoking harms the lungs, and harmful substances from cigarettes absorbed into the bloodstream can also trigger cardiovascular diseases like coronary heart disease and hypertension. Smokers often cough because these harmful substances pollute the mouth and throat.

Recommended Tip: To protect the throat, many people first think of boat-fruited sterculia seed, but it only moistens the throat. Monk fruit brewed in water is highly recommended. Although monk fruit tastes bitter and sweet, not very pleasant, it has excellent effects on clearing and soothing the throat. Break a monk fruit (about the size of a ping-pong ball) into eight equal parts with a small hammer. Each part is the tea amount for one day. Steep it in water and drink until it loses flavor.

Health Reminder: Additionally, lily bulbs, radish soup, steamed pear with Sichuan fritillary bulb and rock sugar, and ginkgo nuts can relieve coughs and reduce phlegm. They are good foods for nourishing the lungs and protecting the liver and kidneys.

■ For Sedentary Lifestyles: Drink Wolfberry Tea

People who spend hours sitting at computers playing games or driving long distances often overuse their eyes and remain sedentary for extended periods. Don't think that staring at a screen only hurts your eyes; prolonged visual strain can harm both the liver and bones.

Recommended Tip: These individuals might benefit from drinking more liver-clearing and vision-improving chrysanthemum tea or wolfberry tea. To protect the liver, also eat more red dates and wolfberries. Furthermore, stir-fried chives with walnuts can tonify the kidneys. Eating more carrots and taking vitamin A supplements can help protect eyesight.

Health Reminder: Gaming enthusiasts and drivers can usually eat more fruits high in vitamin C to protect the liver and kidneys and clear the liver to improve eyesight. Moreover, sedentary people are prone to weight gain and hyperlipidemia. They need to consume some medicinal teas with blood pressure-lowering, lipid-regulating, and weight-loss effects, such as kuding tea and cassia seed tea.

What Tea to Drink at Different Ages

■ Children: Suitable for Mild, Diluted Tea

Green tea is cooling in nature and contains the richest nutritional components among all tea types. On a hot summer day, a cup of green tea can dispel the heat instantly. If brewed lightly, it becomes an excellent beverage for children. Furthermore, children should be encouraged to rinse their mouths with tea broth after meals. Japan strongly advocates tea drinking for elementary school students because extensive survey results show that children who drink tea have a much lower probability of tooth decay compared to those who don't.

■ Women: Suitable for Flower Tea

Flower tea is most suitable for female friends because it has the effects of soothing the liver, relieving depression, regulating qi, and menstruation.

For example, jasmine tea can help expectant mothers during smooth delivery. Daidai flower tea, known as the "Miss Flower Tea," has the function of regulating menstruation and qi. Magnolia flower tea has effects such as detoxifying and beautifying the skin, relieving summer heat and coughs, lowering blood pressure, and aiding weight loss.

However, chrysanthemum is cooling in nature, so people with cold stomachs, women during menstruation, pregnant women, those with weak constitutions and diarrhea, and young children should drink less. Also, rose tea has depression-relieving effects, but people with cold stomachs or diarrhea should not drink it. Those who often feel tired or have qi deficiency should also avoid drinking too much.