Tea Science | Today, let’s talk about how “goddesses” should drink tea scientifically?

You have always known that you are not only a mother, a daughter, and a wife, but also yourself. You have always been beautiful. May every day of your future be sunny and full of smiles. After going through thousands of hardships, you will still be a girl when you return. Dear, love yourself well~

To love yourself, you must first pay attention to your health. With the practice of people in daily life, the health benefits of tea are becoming more and more prominent. However, due to the different processing methods of various types of tea, the ingredients contained in them are also quite different. In addition, the differences in physical constitution and living habits of different people require more careful selection of tea. In particular, women need to choose the right one according to their physical constitution and physical condition at the time. The following is a list of tips for women on scientific tea drinking. I hope everyone can take better care of themselves~

1. Watching and drinking tea

Looking at tea and drinking tea means choosing the right tea and the way of drinking tea according to the different types of tea.

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, tea can be divided into cool, neutral and warm. Generally speaking, green tea, yellow tea and white tea are cool, oolong tea is neutral, and black tea and black tea are warm. It can be further refined according to specific circumstances.

For example, Pu'er cooked tea is warm in nature, while Pu'er raw tea is cool in nature. Another example is Zhejiang Longquan's Jin Guanyin, which is lightly fermented and lightly roasted, and Wuyi rock tea, which is medium fermented and heavily roasted, is warm in nature.

2. Watching people drinking tea

Drinking tea depends on the individual's physical constitution, habits, etc., and the selection of appropriate tea leaves and tea drinking methods. Below we will introduce the three aspects of physical constitution, preferences and special groups.

01 Choose tea according to your physical condition

Different people have very different feelings and physiological reactions after drinking tea——

It is generally believed that drinking tea can lower blood pressure, but people who are particularly sensitive to caffeine may experience increased blood pressure and faster heart rate after drinking tea;

It is generally believed that drinking tea can help with bowel movements, but some people may experience constipation after drinking tea;

Some people experience gastrointestinal discomfort when drinking green tea;

Some people have trouble falling asleep after drinking tea;

Some people get "tea drunk", feeling anxious and breaking out in cold sweats.

These are all physical discomforts caused by drinking tea that is not suitable for one's constitution. The so-called constitution refers to the comprehensive and relatively stable inherent characteristics of morphological structure, physiological function and psychological state formed on the basis of innate endowment and acquired acquisition in the course of life.

Therefore, we should choose the right tea according to our unique constitution, so as to help us maintain the health and harmony of our body. For example, people with hot constitution should drink more cold tea, while people with cold constitution should drink more warm tea.

02 Drink tea according to your preferences

1. People who drink tea for the first time or occasionally should drink some fresh and refreshing tea, such as famous green tea such as Anji White Tea, or lightly fermented oolong tea such as the fragrant Tieguanyin.

2. For those who like strong tea flavor, it is better to choose fried green tea and heavily fermented oolong tea.

3. If you like to mix your drinks, you can add some milk, lemon slices, etc.

03 Reasonable tea drinking for special groups

1. Women who are menstruating, pregnant or breastfeeding should drink less tea or only light tea.

Tea polyphenols in tea will chelate with iron ions, increasing the risk of iron deficiency anemia. Caffeine in tea can stimulate the central nervous system and cardiovascular system. Drinking a lot of tea can increase the basal metabolism of women during menstruation, which can easily cause dysmenorrhea, excessive menstrual bleeding or prolonged menstruation.

When pregnant women consume large amounts of caffeine, the fetus will passively absorb it, but the fetus metabolizes caffeine much slower than adults, which is not good for the growth and development of the fetus.

When breastfeeding women drink strong tea, tea polyphenols will reduce milk secretion. At the same time, caffeine enters the baby's body through breast milk, which can easily make the baby over-excited or cause intestinal cramps.

2. Diabetic patients should drink tea.

Symptoms of diabetes patients include high blood sugar, dry mouth, thirst, and fatigue. Drinking tea can effectively lower blood sugar, quench thirst, and refresh the mind. Diabetics do not need to drink tea that is too strong. They can drink it several times a day, and there is no limit to the type of tea.

3. Smokers and passive smokers, radiologists, and computer users can drink more tea and take tea polyphenol tablets if necessary.

4. People who do mental work can drink more tea.

Drinking tea can keep people clear-headed and energetic, and is suitable for people who need to maintain high concentration for a long time.

5. Patients with neurasthenia and sleep disorders should not drink strong tea before going to bed.

The caffeine in tea has a stimulating effect and can make it more difficult to fall asleep.

6. Patients with active gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer should not drink strong tea, especially on an empty stomach.

The alkaloids in tea will increase gastric acid secretion and affect the healing of ulcer surface.

7. Patients with iron deficiency anemia should not drink tea while taking iron supplements. The time difference between taking medicine and drinking tea should be about 1.5 hours.

The tea polyphenols in tea will combine with the iron ions in food and iron supplements to form insoluble precipitates, which is not conducive to the body's absorption of iron and reduces the efficacy of blood tonics.

3. Drink tea while watching

According to TCM theory, drinking tea according to the season means adjusting the type of tea to drink according to the season. It is generally believed that in the four seasons, "drinking scented tea in spring can relieve depression, drinking green tea in summer can dispel heat and dampness, drinking oolong tea in autumn can relieve dryness and heat, and drinking black tea in winter can warm the spleen and stomach."

Drinking scented tea in spring can dispel the coldness accumulated in the body for a whole winter, and the rich aroma can promote the growth of Yang energy. Green tea and white tea are cool in nature, and drinking them in summer can relieve heat and thirst, clear away heat and detoxify. Drinking oolong tea in autumn can remove excess heat in the body, moisten the lungs and promote the production of body fluids. Black tea and Pu'er tea are warm in nature, and drinking them hot in winter can warm the stomach and dispel coldness.

4. Precautions for drinking tea

1. Advocate warm drinking and avoid hot drinking

2. Don’t drink too much tea before or after meals

3. It’s not that you can’t drink overnight tea, but it’s not recommended

4. Drink a cup of light tea when you wake up in the morning

5. Drink tea carefully according to the properties of the medicine while taking the medicine

References: Zhou Zhixiu, Jiang Yongwen, Ruan Haogeng. Tea Art Master Training Textbook I. China Agriculture Press. 2021

Reviewer: Professor Wang Yuefei, Chairman of the Science Popularization Committee of the China Tea Society and Director of the Tea Research Institute of Zhejiang University