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green tea and tummy problems

11K views 34 replies 31 participants last post by  zoebird 
#1 ·
i'm wondering if this happens to anyone else, and WHY it happens. i love green tea. but most of the time when I drink it, my stomach feels weird after. especially on an empty stomach, but even after I've eaten. it makes me feel nauseated. once I had a big cup of green tea while I was out and came home feeling sick. I spent a half an hour retching over the toilet but didnt throw up. its a terrible feeling and Im not so sure what it is. it couldn't be the caffeine could it? i mean I can drink like 8 cups of black coffee and my tummy wil feel fine. (yes I've done that) coffee doesnt bother me and other teas don't bother me...so what's the deal? does this happen to anyone else?
 
#29 ·
Greetings from London,

Thank goodness I have found this thread (thank you Google...) First a little background, I was brought up on black tea like many Brits, from the age of about seven I stopped drinking it with milk, but did not start of coffee until adulthood, I must admit to being a big coffee fan and start the morning off with coffee, changed to fruit tea during pregnancy as coffee made me feel sick (smelled like cheese..go fig.) anyway went right back to coffee post partum but never really got back into black tea, however, a couple of years ago, on a health kick I decided to try green tea, Twinnings (a popular brand over here) I have had the plain, the orange blossom, the jasmine and the same thing that many of you have noted have plagued me, I felt terribly sick after drinking it if I haven't eaten, I got into the habit of only drinking it with meals and having coffee on an empty stomach, then, the other day, instead of buying my usual Twinning Green Tea at the Supermarket, I ordered green tea from my Organic Delivery company, they sent Clipper Organic Fairtrade Green Tea, to my complete delight, this not only lacks the slight bitter taste of the Twinnings but also I have not felt sick once, empty stomach or no. I hate to sound like a particular brand pusher BUT it might do you all good to try another brand, perhaps it IS something to do with pesticides and you should try organic, I don't know WHAT the difference is but I am very happy with this new one and I think I shall leave it on the order so I will always have the clipper at home as I drink at least three cups a day now (and I don't dread it like I did previously!!
).
 
#32 ·
I drink a lot of green tea, and occasionally (not so much anymore, maybe you can develop a tolerance?) get some stomach irritation if it's very strong and on an empty stomach. As I understand it some of the essential oils from the tea can cause irritation. Anyways, I'd try making a less strong brew, either less tea (bags/loosleaf or whatever) or not steeping for as long, or both.
 
#33 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by LudwigB View Post

Are you sure the tea didn't have gingseng in it? (a lot of green tea has added ginseng, and some brands don't make it very clear on the packaging). Ginseng can cause your blood sugar to plummet very rapidly. I know because I'm very sensitive to it. On an empty stomach, ginseng tea has very nearly made me pass out from hypoglycemic shock. In the meantime I got hit with severe nausea, all-over cold sweating, and dizziness...a miserable feeling. Sounds kind of like what you're experiencing.

If you tea doesn't have added ginseng, I don't know what it could be.
I don't know what it is but packaged green tea in tea bags almost always does that to my stomach. I loved the taste of green tea and it almost always made me sick to drink it. So I stopped drinking it for quite some time and then I discovered loose leaf tea. I drink six or seven cups made from loose leaf tea with no stomach issues at all.

Try loose leaf -- maybe it's the ginseng, maybe something else. Honestly, I never gave it much thought other than "Don't ever drink bagged green tea again."
 
#34 ·
What is it about Green Tea that makes me feel sick?

I kept scratching my head and wondering why everytime I drink green tea it makes me feel light headed, nauseous, and downright wrechedly ill?

After reading all of the posts on here I decided to do a little research and get to the bottom of it.

Granted the answer wasn't exactly plain as day so bare with me. Tapping into my overpriced education as a biology student to claim some form of value proved exhilirating and reminded me why I chose to be a computer programmer instead of a doctor


So... according to the Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine (health.enotes.com/alternative-medicine-encyclopedia/green-tea)

the following is true of Green Tea:

"Green tea contains caffeine, a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that can cause restlessness, irritability, difficulty sleeping, tremor, heart palpitations, loss of appetite, and upset stomach. To avoid side effects, caffeine intake should be limited to 300 mg or less a day (the equivalent of 48 cups of brewed hot tea). Caffeine-free green tea preparations are available commercially.

The tannin in tea can cause nausea when drunk on an empty stomach and inhibit the absorption of nonheme iron. Individuals with iron-deficiency anemia who take iron supplements should avoid drinking green tea several hours before and after taking supplements. Iron absorption with tea can be increased by consuming foods rich in vitamin C with tea, such as a slice of lemon."

Since I myself can consume eight 24oz. Starbucks quadrouple shot Moca Grande's in one sitting (okay, maybe not that much, but definitely more than the average joe) and it has never once made me feel sick I tend to rule out the side effect of caffiene.

So if it's not the caffiene what is it... perhaps the Tannin?

Well what the heck is Tannin you might ask? Good question, and one I was thinking too! According to dictionary.com

Tannin:

n : any of various complex phenolic substances of plant origin; used in tanning and in medicine [syn: tannic acid]

hmmmm... still not much help.

Notice the word phenolic?

That's the ticket! Phenolic pertains to the world phenol.

phenol

n 1: any of a class of weakly acidic organic compounds; molecule contains one or more hydroxyl groups

Now if you've never taken organic chemistry (yuck.. saying those words makes me feel ill) you're not missing out on much. As with most acidic compounds if you add more acid you get a much greater effect.

Now this is where some interpretation is welcome. By consuming phenolic acid in the form of tannin, combined with caffeine, from green tea on an empty stomach and you've got yourself a malitov' cocktail ready to explode in your gut! When the PH of your degestive tract changes it spells bad news. When phenolic acid is introduced to the enzymes in the lining of your stomach they start to become unfriendly. As the the phenol gets absorbed it does what any good buddy does, it tries to find a mate. So it jumps on the first oxygen bus to come along and then wham... as the bus gets tired and runs out of gas it becomes unusable to your body. When your body starts asking where's the oxygen? Things start feeling pretty nasty!

I associate it with a game my big brother use to play with me called "Go To Sleep" where he proceeded to choke me unconscious... it wasn't fun and it gave me a great headache!

Well the same seems to happen with this green tea death drink I make these days. That little mosh-pit created in my stomach combined with the nauseating headache is fairly unpleasant and has a reverse parastalsis affect on my stomach

(that would be puking
)

Solution:

Scarf down some grub so the phenol has a comfy bus to ride before you slam down a nice fat 64oz. green tea death brew in the morning. The effects listed above are not harmful, just annoying.

And my Mom must have told me a million times not to start my day on an empty stomach and I still didn't listen


(what an incredibly wise woman
)
 
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