Green Tea has remarkable beneficial effects on human health and assist in the curing or preventing of many diseases. There are, however, some taboos about drinking tea and below are listed a couple of things to consider.

Drinking Green Tea from the day before: Apart from the fact that green tea made from tea leaves left overnight is not only diminish in flavour, it may also be harmful to your health. When hot water is used to extract tea from the leaves, large amounts of proteins and tannin still remain in the leaves. Tea leaves left standing can be compared to a peeled apple left to turn brown. When used these tea leaves are left to stand for some hours or overnight, they may rot or be oxidized producing strong stimulatory substances. If hot water is poured onto such tea leaves, these substances are extracted into the green tea and strongly stimulate the stomach and intestine, which can lead to inflammation of these organs.

Drinking Green Tea when hungry: According to traditional Chinese Medicine, drinking tea on empty stomach cause “coldness” to enter the lung and stomach system. It is not good to drink a large amount of green tea on an empty stomach. Drinking tea when hungry may temporarily divert the hungry feeling, but it does not last. The alkaline nature of tea conflicts with the acids produced by the stomach. Drinking tea around mealtimes can cause indigestion to those with a sensitive stomach. When a lot of strong tea is drunk on an empty stomach, a large amount of tannin enters the digestive organs, inhibiting the secretion of gastric juice, and this may produce gastric inflammation or gastritis. Tea reduces the absorption of iron, causing problems to those prone to iron deficiency anaemia. It also reduces absorption of thiamine (Vitamin B).

Drinking Green Tea immediately before going to bed: Tea contains a certain amount of caffeine. If we drink many cups of high strength tea after dinner, caffeine remains in our system for several hours. Caffeine stimulates the nervous system and cause insomnia. Therefore it would be wise to limit your Green Tea intake to at least 2 hours before bedtime.

Drinking Green Tea when you are Pregnant: If you are considering becoming pregnant or you already are pregnant, you have probably been informed of the importance of having enough Folic Acid (type of vitamin B) in your diet. Folic Acid or Folate can decrease the chances of the baby developing very serious conditions known as neural tube birth defects. Woman are often advised to take folic acid supplements to reduce the risks of birth defects. Green tea contains a chemical called EGCG (epigallacatechins) and one of the functions of EGCG is to inactivate an enzyme called DHFR (dihydrofolate reducatase). The function of DHFR is to absorb folic acid. If you are drinking green tea, while also taking folic acid to supplement your folate levels, you may be losing the beneficial effect of the folic acid.

Drinking Green Tea with medications or when suffering from fever: Green Tea can interfere and interact with medications. As a safety precaution, avoid green tea or any other type of tea for at least 2 hours after taking medications. Drinking tea won’t get rid of a high temperature. As a mild stimulant, green tea may further increase the body temperature. The body cools down by sweating, but tea tannins actually inhibit this effect.

Drinking too much Green Tea: Like with everything in life, too much of something is never good. A lot of people are under the impression that it green tea is dehydrating when it is actually an incredibly good source of fluid and very low in caffeine compared to coffee. But, it is recommended drinking not more than 6 cups of tea a day. Why? Because drinking too much green tea can cause caffeine intolerance and minerals overdose. Therefore, I think 3 to 6 cups is the optimum for most people.

Apart from the above there are still numerous reasons why green tea can be beneficial to your overall health. I have decided to try out this miracle tea and am now drinking 3-4 cups a day. I have never felt this good and have loads of energy.

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