In this article, join us to become more familiar with the benefits, side effects, and harmful aspects of tea consumption for body health, and also learn about alternatives to black tea and green tea.
Tea is one of the most beloved beverages. Interestingly, tea has extraordinary drawbacks for humans and is the source of many diseases. Avicenna (the genius of traditional medicine) refers to tea as a low-quality foodstuff and used it only for therapeutic purposes in specific conditions.
The tea trade worldwide is a lucrative and significant business, with companies earning millions of dollars from tea sales. These companies, easily making substantial profits, are reluctant to let research findings on the harmful effects of tea reach the public. However, like other plants, tea has medicinal properties, as we will discuss shortly. Yet, it is a medicinal toxin, not a daily beverage. The toxicity of tea lies in the amount that, over time, negatively impacts bodily health.
Benefits of the Tea Plant
Every being has been created with purpose and wisdom. However, this does not imply that everything is edible and nutritionally valuable!
The tea bush is one of the best plants that can purify the air from various pollutants and generate a substantial amount of oxygen. The fact that the air in tea plantations is very refreshing is evidence of this. Therefore, tea can be used to eliminate bad breath or as a refrigerator deodorizer.
In fact, if today's humanity thinks wisely, instead of consuming tea leaves, they should plant the tea bush as an excellent air purifier throughout city streets. Perhaps another reason why consuming tea as food is harmful is that this plant absorbs toxins present in the air.
Moreover, tea is beneficial for washing eyes and treating infected gums. In traditional medicine, instead of using various types of chemical drugs and antibiotics with harmful effects to treat infants' infected eyes, they wash the infant's eyes multiple times in different stages with brewed tea.
In addition to the mentioned benefits, tea has other therapeutic effects, which we will suffice to mention in this article.
Harmful Aspects of Consuming Black and Green Tea
With a few reasons, we will explain why you should not consume tea!
1. The tea bush is among the few plants that, due to the presence of toxins in its tissues, have no serious pests except for humans. Usually, no animal is willing to eat tea, so tea plantations do not require pesticides and insecticides. Perhaps you have seen that tea plants are cultivated around many agricultural lands because it prevents animals like cows and sheep from approaching.
Most toxic substances in nature have a bitter taste. Perhaps it is a warning to avoid consuming them. Tea is one of the most bitter plants that exist in nature.
2. Substances with a cyclic molecular structure, termed aromatic compounds in chemical terms, are carcinogenic. Polyphenols are aromatic compounds present in tea. Phenol has undesirable effects on the skin, liver, and digestive system. Interestingly, chemical fragrances added to tea in factories also fall under aromatic and carcinogenic substances.3. Tea consumption interferes with the absorption of iron present in food, leading to chronic anemia in its consumers. Tea contains compounds called tannins that create the bitter taste of tea. Tannins form deposits with iron, and due to their molecular coarseness and heaviness, these deposits become non-absorbable in the body.
Important Note:
Don't forget that anemia is the mother of diseases, causing numerous other illnesses.
4. The tea plant contains a substance called oxalic acid, which is toxic and creates metabolic disorders. This substance deposits in the kidneys, leading to the formation of oxalic kidney stones.
5. Tannin in tea is a potent diuretic, causing the body to expel fluids and thickening blood plasma. Due to the thickened plasma, enzymes cannot function properly, resulting in the accumulation of waste substances in the body and the onset of diseases. Additionally, tannin leads to excessive activity of kidney cells over time, impairing the function of the kidneys.
6. Each cup of tea contains between 60 to 75 milligrams of caffeine. In addition to being addictive, caffeine consumption increases LDL (bad cholesterol) and becomes a factor for heart and brain infarctions. Moreover, caffeine stimulates nerves and can cause palpitations in some individuals.
7. Another calming substance called Theanine is present in tea, acting as a stimulant for the sympathetic nervous system and increasing the secretion of adrenaline. Theanine also leads to a reduction in the intracellular magnesium levels. Magnesium is a substance that fights various types of cancers, and by consuming tea, this beneficial substance is expelled from the body.
8. From the perspective of traditional medicine, tea generates black bile in the body, and the accumulation of the black bile in the body leads to the development of various diseases, including various cancers, skin diseases, and many psychological and mental illnesses.
Tea has other downsides as well, including joint pain, migraines, constipation, memory loss, hair loss, mouth ulcers, gallbladder enlargement, tooth spots and yellowing, muscle cramps, burning sensations in the hands and feet, weight loss (due to metabolic disorders), sensitivity, irritability, foot sole burning, and more. It is believed that tea consumption is linked to about 65 different diseases.
More harmful than natural green and black tea are flavored teas containing various chemical essences, which not only have all the drawbacks of tea but also contain the harms of chemical fragrances and artificial flavorings.
Alternatives to black and green tea
1. Herbal teas such as Apple Quince TeaApple Quince tea, with a moderate and slightly warm temperament, is the most harmless hot drink that can be replaced with tea and consumed every day. The color of the infusion is completely similar to the color of tea and is extremely delicious.
Apple Quince tea is relaxing and causes the strengthening of the immune system of the body. Unlike black and green tea, it is kidney-friendly and helps purify the blood.
2. Various herbal teasSince some herbal teas, including thyme, are considered to be medications, the following should be considered when consuming them:
- Avoid excessive intake.
- Always use them under the guidance of an herbalist or a practitioner of traditional medicine or a wise person with knowledge in traditional healing practices. And consume them according to your body temperament.
If you've decided to quit consuming tea after reading this article, it's better to do it gradually to avoid shocking your body. Try diluting the tea color over a week, use more hot water, and gradually replace it with alternative herbal teas.
External Sources
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