Drinking tea is beneficial to health, and the practice of Drinking Tea for health maintenance, a tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years. The key to using tea for health maintenance lies in mastering the best time to drink tea. Drinking the right tea at the right time can produce twice the result with half the effort.
But what kind of tea should we drink, and when during the day is the best time to do so?
Morning Tea
After a whole night's rest, the body loses a lot of water, and the concentration of blood increases. Drinking a cup of light tea not only quickly replenishes the body's water needs but also cleanses the intestines and stomach. It can lower blood pressure, dilute the blood, and be good for health. It can also play a role in preventing and treating constipation. However, note that you should not drink strong tea in the morning. It should be lighter than usual.
What Tea to Drink in the Morning
It's better to drink black tea in the morning, as it can promote blood circulation in the body and remove coldness from the body, ensuring adequate blood supply to the brain. After breakfast every day, drinking a cup of black tea or adding milk to it is recommended. Note that you should only drink tea after breakfast in the morning, as tea contains caffeine. Drinking on an empty stomach will cause the gut to absorb too much caffeine, leading to symptoms such as palpitations and frequent urination.
Afternoon Tea
Drinking tea around 3:00 pm can help regulate the body and enhance the immune system, as well as prevent colds. Drinking tea at this time is the most important part of the day, often referred to as afternoon tea. For those with “three highs” (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar), if they persistently drink afternoon tea, it can achieve effects that even medication cannot reach.
What Tea to Drink in the Afternoon
In the afternoon, it is best to drink Oolong tea or Green Tea. Generally, liver fire tends to be more intense in the body during the noon. Drinking green tea or oolong tea can alleviate this symptom. Oolong tea, like Tie Guan Yin, is cool and dry, entering the liver meridian, which can clear liver heat and detoxify the liver. Moreover, tea contains abundant vitamin E, which has anti-aging properties.
Green tea enters the kidney meridian, promoting diuresis and making urination smoother. Green tea is also rich in polyphenols, which have evident antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Evening Tea
Drinking tea around 8:30 pm. Many people misunderstand drinking tea in the evening, fearing it might affect sleep. This is not necessarily true, as this time is when the body's immune system is most active. If one drinks a pot of tea, the body can easily repair and restore its immune system and regenerate cells.
What Tea to Drink in the Evening
In the evening, avoid drinking unfermented teas, such as green teas, as they can stimulate the body. Instead, you can choose to drink dark tea, especially ripe Pu'er. Ripe Pu'er is mild and warm, not affecting normal sleep. Drinking dark tea after dinner can help break down accumulated fat, warming the stomach and aiding digestion.
Times Not Suitable for Drinking Tea
On an Empty Stomach
Since tea contains alkaloids such as caffeine, drinking tea on an empty stomach can cause the gut to absorb too much caffeine, potentially inducing symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness, weak limbs, and mental confusion. Middle-aged and elderly individuals with gastric ulcers or duodenal ulcers should particularly avoid drinking tea on an empty stomach, especially strong tea. Excessive tannins can irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa, sometimes causing indigestion or constipation.
When Drunk
Tea has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system. Drinking strong tea while drunk can exacerbate the burden on the heart. For middle-aged and elderly individuals with poor cardiac or renal function, it is particularly unsuitable to drink large amounts of strong tea when drunk. Methods such as consuming a large amount of fruit or sipping vinegar can be used to accelerate the metabolism rate of the human body and relieve drunkenness.
Before Bedtime
The substances in tea, such as caffeine, once absorbed by the human body, have a significant stimulating effect on the central nervous system. Drinking tea can make the mind excited, affecting sleep and potentially causing insomnia, especially with newly harvested green teas. Furthermore, since tea has a diuretic effect, drinking tea before bed can increase nocturnal urination, affecting sleep quality.
During Medication
Some middle-aged and elderly individuals with chronic diseases need to take medication long-term. Many medications are not suitable to take with tea. For example, sedatives, drugs for arrhythmia, etc. Caffeine can reduce the analgesic effects of some medications. Therefore, it is also not advisable to drink tea when taking painkillers.
Some say: What we drink when we drink tea is not just water, but taste. Over time, what we drink may not even be the taste of tea itself, but rather the taste of the inner self and life. Different seasons or different times of the day correspond to different teas, much like the varying warmth or coolness of life's moments. The difference is that the majority of life consists of mundane times, yet in tea, there is always flavor.
To truly appreciate tea, one must respect each tea with sincerity. Just as with people, regardless of their status, there is always something to admire about them. To understand tea, one must engage in sincere dialogue with it, just as with a friend. After understanding all their experiences, you gain a deeper appreciation for their uniqueness and know how to interact with them better.