green tea nausea

[amixa]

hey
i'm just wondering.. i've been on a detox for the past couple months at least and i managed to switch from drinking regular tea to green tea. the only thing is i drink it first thing in the morning and it makes me feel fine for the most part i just can't allow the teabag to stay in for long at all or i start feeling nauseaus after drinking most of the cup.
i know its natural to feel nausea when detoxing but it only really comes up after drinking green tea. is that what its doing? detoxing? or is it just my stomach?

[SunnKali]

From your post, it sounds like you could drink black tea on an empty stomach but not green tea? How do you feel if you drink it after eating something? I can drink coffee on an empty stomach with no problems, but if I drink any kind of tea on an empty stomach I get strong nausea sometimes to the point of vomiting. For me, I've learned never to drink tea by itself and it doesn't matter if it's white, green, or black.

[newmark]

I agree with Sunnkali, I think it's better to drink tea with food. Like wine, different teas suit different foods.
The only teas I can drink on an empty stomach are oolong, puer and some of the lighter black teas like darjeeling or keemun. Even these are better with or after food (I drink all of them without milk).

[Matthew Shea]

Try green tea with lemon or chamomile.

I can't drink plain green tea, empty stomach or not, for the same reason. It tends to make me gag. There are a bunch of flavored versions, though, that help to disguise whatever it is that causes that. In my experience, lemon and chamomile are the most effective. Mint is pretty good, too.

[The David]

I've kind of noticed a correlation between green tea and nausea as well. I haven't given it much thought.

[Mary Jane]

I've had that problem occasionally, too, with green tea. Not Earl Grey or white tea, though. I think it just happens when I've not had food. I don't even steep it very long. I'm going to pay more attention now!

Mary Jane

[Minsc]

Originally Posted by amixa

i just can't allow the teabag to stay in for long at all or i start feeling nauseaus after drinking most of the cup.

Are you oversteeping it? (the box you found the tea in should have instructions on how long to steep and at what temperature. Usually you keep it in for around 5 minutes)

Wikipedia also has a section on preparing tea: Tea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've never had tea make me nauseous though. You could try red tea which is made from a different plant than regular teas and is impossible to oversteep.

[jenlili]

Originally Posted by Minsc

Are you oversteeping it? (the box you found the tea in should have instructions on how long to steep and at what temperature. Usually you keep it in for around 5 minutes)

Wikipedia also has a section on preparing tea: Tea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've never had tea make me nauseous though. You could try red tea which is made from a different plant than regular teas and is impossible to oversteep.

I'd suggest trying different brands of tea rather than different colors. I've found that makes a HUGE difference. You might also want to do a little more research, rather than relying on (or even accepting anything you read on) Wikipedia. Online tea shops frequently offer really good advice...afterall they want you to get the most out of their products so they can sell you more. (check out sevencups.com or tbythesea.com)

Tea isn't really complicated, but it does require a little more thought than a lot of people put into it. For example, how hot is the water you're using to steep your tea? Green tea will be bitter if steeped too long or in water that's too hot: some say take it off the heat before it boils; some say boil it, then let it sit a few minutes. Also, in everything I've read about tea, the consensus is, never let green tea steep more than 2-3 minutes.

I used to hate green tea, until I learned how to make it!

My title was just a joke, btw. I have no prejudice against tea bags, I just know you get better control and generally better quality if you buy tea loose.

[Holistic Star]

I'm actually physically sick if I drink green tea or black tea without milk.

It is much worse on an empty stomach.

For some reason, in some people, drinking green tea or black tea without milk causes a massive blood sugar drop. The splash of milk a lot of people have in black tea contains just enough sugar to stop this happening.

I only found this out when I had a cup of green tea before a massage appointment because the therapist was running late. I started feeling very ill and nauseus and was very nearly sick, so she insisted I eat a square of chocolate! This instantly took the nausea away. And she explained about the blood sugar crash.

Who knows why - but you are definitely not the only one who gets this!

[amixa]

wow thanks for all the replies

yeah i actually used to drink black tea with some milk (then soy milk after a while) until my doctor suggested for me to lower the caffeine intake so that's why i drink green tea now.
i would get sick after finishing the full cup of black tea with milk on an empty stomach.. but not when i had something in it already.

i have tried different brands.. and usually for me NOT to get sick is to only leave the tea bag in for like.. 40-60 seconds. even when i eat straight after to avoid the nausea (this would cure it with the black tea) i still have to lie down sometimes for a half hour to allow my system to settle down.

the least problems i've received is from the tazo zen tea that has peppermint and other herbs in it.. i still get sick from that from time to time though.

but yeah i was just wondering if it was a 'detox' thing since they say green tea is good for detoxing..

eventually i am to quit caffeine altogether but ha definitely not going to happen anytime soon!

[Niamh]

Hm. Green tea has been known to reduce blood pressure and blood sugar. That said, it's probably not a good idea to drink it on an empty stomach (when both are already low).
Drink it after meals. It's wonderful for digestion.

[Eisho]

Originally Posted by amixa

hey
i'm just wondering.. i've been on a detox for the past couple months at least and i managed to switch from drinking regular tea to green tea. the only thing is i drink it first thing in the morning and it makes me feel fine for the most part i just can't allow the teabag to stay in for long at all or i start feeling nauseaus after drinking most of the cup.
i know its natural to feel nausea when detoxing but it only really comes up after drinking green tea. is that what its doing? detoxing? or is it just my stomach?

Probably just your stomach. Could be caused by the quality of tea you are using. Also, try having something a little sweet with your tea. That is how is it drunk in Japan.

Cheers,

Eisho

[sepiagal]

Tea is high in fluoride. Drinking lots of tea can be bad for you because the fuoride builds up in the body.
There was a report of a woman who was sick with lots of different symptoms but one I think I remember was joint pain. She went to numerous doctors who could not figure out what the cause was. Finally someone (maybe she did) made the connection to her high tea intake.

Fluoride has several mechanisms of toxicity. Ingested fluoride initially acts locally on the intestinal mucosa. It can form hydrofluoric acid in the stomach, which leads to GI irritation or corrosive effects. Following ingestion, the GI tract is the earliest and most commonly affected organ system.

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/TOPIC181.HTM

The food either before or with tea is about the mucosa not be irritated as much.

Blood sugar problems do not make you nauseated.

You can get your doctor to check your blood sugar or you can look into fuoride's effect on the body and how to treat it.