Can I drink tea while taking Chinese medicine?

Chinese people have the habit of drinking tea. At the same time, many people like to drink tea in their daily lives, but drinking tea has some side effects because of the chemical components in tea. It will also reduce or affect the efficacy of some drugs and produce certain side effects. Therefore, try not to drink tea when taking medicine, because it will have some effects on the gastrointestinal tract and the body. The substances in tea can especially cause some gastrointestinal ulcers.

Do not drink tea while taking medicine. The caffeine content in tea is too high. Coffee can enhance the secretion of the stomach. The chemical substances contained in tea are also relatively common and will weaken the effects of some important drug ingredients. Next, we will introduce whether you can drink tea while taking Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that it is best not to drink tea while taking Chinese medicine. Because the chemical components in tea will not only reduce or affect the efficacy of drugs, but also produce some side effects, you should not drink tea when taking medicine.

Usually Chinese medicine is not taken with tea, because drinking tea can "antidote" the medicine. Tea contains a large amount of tannic acid, which can easily form insoluble precipitation with biological alkali. The active ingredients of many traditional Chinese medicines are biological alkaloids. For example, ephedra contains ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, coptis chinensis and phellodendron contain berberine, and stemonine is contained in stemona. Other active ingredients such as Corydalis yanhusuo, Cirsium chinense, Cirsium truncatum, and Datura stramonium are also mainly alkaloids. When the decoction of these medicines is taken with tea, precipitation will occur and affect the efficacy of the medicine. At the same time, the tannic acid in tea has an astringent effect, which will prevent the body from absorbing nutrients such as protein. Therefore, when taking tonic medicines such as Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, and yam, drinking tea, especially strong tea, will also reduce the efficacy of the medicine.

However, there are very few places where tea can be used. For example, there is a famous prescription for treating hemicrania called "Chuanxiong Cha Tiao San", which is to take the medicine powder with clear tea or decoction and tea. The purpose is to use the bitter and cold nature of tea to clear the upper part and descend to facilitate blood circulation, thereby achieving the effect of calming wind and relieving pain. However, if there is no special note, do not take tea with Chinese medicine.

The above is whether you can drink tea while taking Chinese medicine. In daily life, taking Chinese medicine with tea will affect the efficacy of the medicine. Coffee can enhance the secretion of the stomach, because the chemical substances contained in tea will weaken the effects of some important Chinese medicine ingredients. If you want to drink tea while taking Chinese medicine, you can drink tea after half an hour.