Four types of people should avoid drinking herbal tea to cool down.
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2012-04-06
Summer heat easily leads to "internal heat," and many people enjoy drinking herbal teas to cool down. However, Traditional Chinese Medicine experts warn that consuming herbal tea daily can deplete the body's vital yang energy, particularly harming the internal organs. This is especially true for four groups—children, the elderly, and others—who are better off avoiding herbal teas altogether during hot weather.
Professor Zhang Mao, Director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department at Chongqing Medical University Children's Hospital, explains that herbal teas—typically brewed with ingredients like honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, and kuding tea—are known for their cooling and heat-clearing properties, making them effective in relieving summer heat. However, it’s important not to consume these teas excessively or drink them daily, as doing so could deplete the body’s vital yang energy, weaken the spleen and stomach, and impair digestion and nutrient absorption.
Zhang Mao says that four groups of people—children, the elderly, women, and those with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold—should avoid drinking herbal teas meant to cool the body. Children’s spleen and stomach regulatory functions are still underdeveloped, making it difficult for their bodies to promptly adjust to or adapt to the cooling properties of these herbs, which could potentially disrupt digestion and nutrient absorption. Elderly individuals often experience declining organ function, making them particularly vulnerable to digestive issues triggered by the stimulating effects of herbal teas, thereby increasing the strain on their already weakened gastrointestinal systems. Women should also refrain from consuming excessively bitter, cold herbal teas, especially during menstruation, as the coldness can slow blood flow, leading to painful periods and irregular menstrual cycles. Lastly, people with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold—whose primary issue is sensitivity to cold in the digestive tract—should similarly avoid these cooling teas.
Zhang Mao says that, under normal circumstances, children don’t need to drink cooling herbal teas—unless they’re experiencing "internal heat," which manifests as symptoms like dry mouth and throat, red lips, increased thirst, yellow urine, constipation, hot palms, and irritability. In such cases, it’s appropriate to give them mild cooling teas, such as those made with honeysuckle or chrysanthemum flowers. Additionally, during summer, it’s best to limit consumption of fruits that tend to generate internal heat, like lychee, longan, and mango. Instead, encourage kids to drink plenty of water. Meanwhile, beverages like mung bean soup, lemon juice, watermelon, and pears are excellent choices for cooling down and relieving summer heat.
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