People need water the most during summer, primarily to balance the body's water ratio and cool down. When traveling under the scorching sun, experienced travelers often place a damp towel on their heads or wrap a wet towel around their necks. In medieval Europe, common people would soak a bedsheet in water at noon in summer and lie on it bare-backed under a large tree to cool their bodies.
It is widely believed that the method of using natural ice water in summer was invented by the Chinese. People would collect snow and ice (snowmelt and ice blocks from mountains) in winter, seal them in jars, and store the jars in dark cellars. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates created a method around 400 BC using natural ice and snow water as a refrigerant to chill beverages and treat inflammation, swellings, and stomach aches.
It is said that a certain Turkish refreshing drink was first invented by the Roman Emperor Nero—mixing winter snow water with juices pressed from raspberries, lemons, oranges, cinnamon, and ginger to create a delicious, thirst-quenching frozen fruit juice.
It is generally believed that drinking tea is better than drinking water for dispelling summer heat. Besides quenching thirst and cooling down, tea contains many nutritional components that can provide health benefits and therapeutic effects. "Why need the Emperor Wei's pill of medicine? Just finish Lu Tong's seven bowls of tea." Modern medical and chemical tests have found that tea leaves contain over 400 organic compounds and more than a dozen inorganic minerals with nutritional value.
Some ask, should one drink hot or cold tea in summer? Most people prefer a cup of cool tea in summer for its refreshing and cooling effects, but drinking hot tea actually serves the same purpose. This is because when consuming hot food or liquids (like hot tea), the body expels excess heat through sweating.
Tea was first recognized as a medicine and is categorized into cooling, neutral, and warming teas. Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that drinking tea in summer also requires consideration of tea properties and body constitution. Those with a 'heaty' constitution are suited for cooling teas (green tea and Tieguanyin from oolong teas); those with a weak constitution or 'cold stomach' should drink neutral teas (like oolong tea and Da Hong Pao) or warming teas (like black tea and Pu-erh tea). Kuding tea is highly cooling and suitable for 'heaty' constitutions, but not for those with a 'deficient cold' constitution. Children and pregnant women should avoid it, as the tannic acid in tea can bind with calcium, iron, zinc, etc., forming insoluble substances.
One point needs recognition: do not wait until your mouth is dry and lips parched to drink water or tea, as cells are already in a dehydrated state by then. The Chinese often say "use tea instead of wine." Do not think that only wine can intoxicate people, while tea cannot cause trouble. As the saying goes: "Tea can also intoxicate, why must it be wine? Books can fragrance me, no need for flowers." Drinking large amounts of strong tea, especially on an empty stomach, can lead to "tea intoxication," characterized by low blood sugar and general weakness, which can be alleviated by drinking a bowl of sugar water.