There is a saying in Guangdong folk culture, "A pot of tea early in the morning, no need to seek a doctor." Many seasoned tea masters and enthusiasts have the habit of drinking a pot of strong, concentrated tea on an empty stomach as soon as they wake up in the morning. They have maintained this habit for years, and if they don't drink enough tea in the morning, they have no appetite for other foods.
Observing these tea masters and friends, they are all of advanced age, yet their skin is fine and their complexion rosy. Could it be that drinking tea on an empty stomach in the morning truly has the effect of cleansing the intestines and promoting health? Can ordinary people emulate this? With these questions in mind, we visited some Chinese medicine doctors and tea enthusiasts.
Is drinking tea in the morning good?
Dr. Pan (Doctor, Nanhai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine): Generally speaking, drinking strong tea on an empty stomach after waking up can not only cause gastrointestinal discomfort and loss of appetite but may also impair the normal function of the nervous system. However, drinking mild tea in the morning is less problematic. It is recommended to discard the first infusion and drink the second infusion. For elderly people, adding a little sugar and an appropriate amount of white chrysanthemum to the tea is even better.
What kind of tea is good to drink in the morning?
Everyone's constitution is different, and tea drinking varies from person to person. Not everyone can tolerate drinking tea in the morning.
For those who want to try starting to drink tea in the morning, the strength should be gradually increased. You can choose teas like Pu'er or Wuyi rock tea to drink. Especially Pu'er has stomach-nourishing properties, so even strong tea is not a concern. Green tea, such as light-scented Tieguanyin, etc., is cold in nature and is particularly unsuitable for people with a cold stomach.
Drinking tea in the morning varies from person to person
We also visited several other doctors and tea enthusiasts. They believe that whether drinking tea on an empty stomach in the morning can cleanse the intestines cannot be generalized; it depends on each individual's constitution. Veteran tea enthusiasts have been accustomed to drinking strong tea on an empty stomach since they were young. For them, it has health benefits such as reducing fat and greasiness.
For others with poor gastrointestinal health, especially constipation sufferers, strong tea contains more tannic acid, which can easily cause constipation. A cup of light salt water or honey water in the morning is a more appropriate and safer method to cleanse the intestines.
What time of day is most suitable for drinking tea?
Morning is suitable for drinking black tea: After sleeping through the night, the body is often in a relatively inactive state. Drinking black tea can promote blood circulation, while also dispelling cold from the body and ensuring ample blood supply to the brain.
Black tea is mild in nature. You can brew a cup after getting up every morning and drink it after breakfast, or add some milk to it. It is important to remind that you should never drink tea on an empty stomach because tea leaves contain caffeine. Drinking on an empty stomach can cause the intestines to absorb too much caffeine, leading to adverse reactions such as palpitations and frequent urination. Over time, it can also affect the body's absorption of vitamin B.
Drink tea around 3:00 PM. Drinking tea at this time can help regulate the body, enhance resistance, nourish, and also prevent colds. Tea drinking at this time is the most important of the day, commonly known as afternoon tea. For some people with "three highs" (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia), if they persist in drinking afternoon tea, it can achieve effects that even medication cannot.
Afternoon is suitable for drinking oolong tea or green tea: Typically, the body tends to have excessive liver fire around noon. Drinking green tea or oolong tea at this time can alleviate this symptom.
Oolong tea (such as Tieguanyin) is sweet and cool in nature, enters the liver meridian, can clear heat from the liver and gallbladder, resolve liver toxins, and is rich in vitamin E, which can resist aging; Green tea enters the kidney meridian, promotes diuresis and removes turbidity, facilitating smooth urination. Additionally, green tea has an extremely high content of tea polyphenols, offering good antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Drink tea around 8:30 PM. Many people misunderstand drinking tea at night, fearing it will affect sleep. Actually, this is not the case. This time is when the human immune system is most active. If you can drink a brew of tea, the body can easily repair and restore the immune system, regenerate cells, etc. For people with neurasthenia, they can choose to drink semi-fermented, warm-natured Tieguanyin. Never drink green tea because green tea is non-fermented and has a certain stimulating effect on the body.
Evening is suitable for drinking dark tea: After eating three meals, the body accumulates some greasy substances in the digestive system. If you can drink a cup of dark tea after dinner, it helps break down accumulated fat, warming the stomach and aiding digestion.
Dark tea is relatively mild and pure in nature and will not affect sleep. Yunnan Pu'er is the first choice for dark tea. However, some people may not accept the taste of Pu'er, so white tea can be used instead, such as Fujian Shou Mei. Shou Mei enters the lung meridian, has a mild tea nature, and also does not affect sleep.