The term "Cha Yao" (Tea Medicine) was already in use during the Tang Dynasty (as seen in the inscription "Cha Yao" by Wang Guo in the 14th year of the Dali era of Emperor Daizong of Tang). In "Shan Jia Qing Gong" by Lin Hong of the Song Dynasty, there is also the assertion, "Tea is medicine." This shows that tea is considered a medicine and was included in medical books (anciently known as "Ben Cao"). However, in modern usage, the term "Cha Yao" is limited to preparations that contain tea leaves. Because tea has many effects and can prevent and treat various illnesses in internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, and pediatrics, tea is not only a medicine but, as emphasized by Chen Zangqi of the Tang Dynasty, "tea is the medicine for ten thousand diseases." But did you know that tea can clash with the following foods? Be careful when drinking tea!
1. Tea and Sugar
Tea is bitter in taste and cold in nature. The purpose of drinking tea is to use its bitterness to stimulate the digestive glands, promote the secretion of digestive fluids, and enhance digestive function. Another use is to take advantage of tea's cold nature to achieve the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying.
If sugar is added to tea, it will inhibit this function. However, there are also folk remedies in ancient books that combine tea with sugar to treat diseases. This is acceptable as a form of diet therapy, but it is not advisable to add sugar when drinking tea normally.
2. Tea and Eggs
When cooking eggs in tea water, the tea is very strong. Strong tea contains more tannic acid, which can turn the protein in food into indigestible coagulated substances, affecting the body's absorption and utilization of protein.
Eggs are a high-protein food, so it is not advisable to cook them in tea water for consumption.
3. Tea and Alcohol
Many people love to drink tea after alcohol, hoping to achieve the effects of moistening dryness and sobering up, eliminating stagnation and aiding digestion, and regulating water passages. However, this is detrimental to the kidneys.
Because drinking tea after alcohol causes the theophylline in the tea to produce a diuretic effect. At this time, acetaldehyde, converted from alcohol, has not been fully broken down. It enters the kidneys due to the diuretic effect of theophylline. Acetaldehyde is highly irritating to the kidneys, which can easily lead to damage to kidney function. Consequently, symptoms such as kidney coldness, impotence, frequent and turbid urination, and testicular pain may follow.
4. Tea and Lamb
Although eating lamb from time to time is very beneficial to the body, when drinking tea with lamb, the rich protein in lamb can "combine" with the tannic acid in tea to form a substance called tannic acid protein. This substance has a certain astringent effect on the intestines, which can weaken intestinal motility, reduce moisture in the stool, and easily lead to constipation.
Therefore, it is not advisable to drink tea while eating lamb. It is also not advisable to drink tea immediately after eating lamb; you should wait 2-3 hours before drinking tea.
5. Tea and Medicine
The tannic acid in tea can undergo chemical reactions with certain drugs (such as ferrous sulfate tablets, ferric ammonium citrate, berberine, etc.) to form precipitates, affecting drug absorption.
If sedatives (such as phenobarbital, diazepam, etc.) are taken with tea water, the stimulants in tea, such as caffeine and theophylline, will counteract or weaken the sedative effect of the drugs.
Because there are many types of drugs and it is difficult to master all their interactions, it is always beneficial and harmless to take them with warm water.
6. Avoid drinking tea after eating dog meat
Dog meat is rich in protein, and tea contains a lot of tannic acid. If you drink tea immediately after eating dog meat, the tannic acid in the tea will combine with the protein in the dog meat to form tannic acid protein. This substance has an astringent effect, can weaken intestinal motility, cause constipation, and lead to the passive absorption of toxic and carcinogenic metabolic substances in the intestines, which is harmful to health. Therefore, avoid drinking tea after eating dog meat.