Frank family conversations and friendly conversations begin with a cup of tea; holidays end with it; a break during the working day is also accompanied by the consumption of this aromatic drink. Tea drinking is not only a Chinese tradition, it is a ritual in many countries where people value relationships. Various flavors, additives, green tea, black and hibiscus - the variety is amazing and makes lovers try more and more new options.
You can say a lot of good things about tea, but that’s not what we’re talking about today. Some patients complaining of heartburn notice that it sometimes appears even after drinking tea. Is this true, can tea really cause heartburn? Let's find out in detail what may underlie this process.
Why tea can cause heartburn
This almost ideal drink, like coffee, contains caffeine, and often in much larger quantities (at least 2%). It doesn't matter whether the tea is green or black. It is caffeine that plays a major role in the development of heartburn after tea. Why is this substance sometimes harmful to the human body, and in particular to the digestive system?
- Can tea cause heartburn? - yes, there is a high probability of experiencing such an unpleasant symptom with frequent consumption of a real, strong, tonic drink. Caffeine, like an alarm clock, constantly forces the nervous system, including the digestive organs, to work. It has a stimulating effect on the regulation of the digestive glands. This effect can be compared with the influence of fruits or vegetables, which also act on the digestive glands. Caffeine also stimulates the production of digestive juices. After consuming it, gastric juice and along with it hydrochloric acid are produced in large quantities.
- Everything would be fine, but tea most often ends a meal, and any liquid swells your stomach, increasing pressure on the esophageal sphincter. This is all the more likely on a stomach that is already full after lunch, because after a rich feast it is already very full, and when you also drink tea, often with a sweet dessert, then again a load is created on the esophageal sphincter, which at one point does not withstands and opens, while the contents of the stomach periodically enter the esophagus, irritating its walls and causing heartburn. It doesn’t matter what color of drink a person drinks - heartburn in this case will occur from both black and green tea.
As a result, we have excess hydrochloric acid and pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, which leads to heartburn. After food and hydrochloric acid flow back through the half-open passage into the esophagus, burning chest pain appears. This is why tea can cause heartburn.
These are the main causes of heartburn from black or green tea.
Does heartburn occur after drinking tea?
The connection between the occurrence of heartburn and improper use of tea is obvious.
People who do not suffer from various problems localized in the gastrointestinal tract are allowed to drink high-quality tea, but this must be done with caution.
You should not get carried away with a large amount of tea, nor should you brew it in an overly concentrated form.
Excessive amounts of tannin accumulating in the human body can provoke disturbances in the process of assimilation of various minerals and vitamins obtained with food.
In particularly critical cases, this situation can cause iron deficiency anemia, etc.
READ Causes of persistent heartburn
Both tannin and caffeine are known stimulants that can increase stomach acid production.
Excessive amounts of biological fluid responsible for digesting food can leave the natural reservoir (stomach) and rise up the esophagus, causing severe and painful heartburn.
Tea is a drink that is best consumed not before the start of a meal or immediately after its end, but in the intervals between meals.
Getting into the stomach along with food, tea increases the internal volume of the organ, causing its walls to stretch.
Excessive stomach volume can put pressure on the esophageal sphincter, opening its boundaries and provoking the development of reflux.
The mucous membranes of the esophagus have a more alkaline pH, so when they interact with hydrochloric acid rising from the stomach, they begin to become deformed and irritated.
The greater the amount of acid, the more obvious the “damage” will be after it rises through the esophagus.
People suffering from heartburn caused by esophageal reflux also experience other unpleasant symptoms, such as constant bitterness in the mouth, painful, sour belching, etc.
It's not just tea that's to blame for heartburn.
Above we listed the possible causes of heartburn due to tea, but it does not always appear precisely because of the drink itself.
- Often a person feels heartburn after drinking sweet tea, which is explained by the influence of sweets on the functioning of the esophageal sphincter. This muscle gradually relaxes under the influence of easily soluble carbohydrates (in this case, excess sugar is to blame).
- Those who prefer tea bags of dubious origin (seemingly less aggressive) also risk their health. Such containers often contain impurities of unknown origin: dust, grains of sand. They seep through the paper when the bag is brewed, a person drinks this liquid, and the first barrier that these substances encounter is the gastrointestinal tract, where in most cases everything remains. This can disrupt the functioning of not only the digestive glands, but also the mucous membrane of the digestive organs. But this process develops in the body over years.
Other prerequisites
Not only tea leaves can provoke the appearance of such an unpleasant phenomenon. The cause may also be the excessive sweetness of the drink. Sugar affects the functioning of the esophageal sphincter. How exactly? Easily digestible carbohydrates relax the muscle. And this risks throwing out the contents of the stomach straight into the esophagus.
It should also be noted that heartburn most often occurs from tea bags. It is almost always of questionable quality. These bags also contain tea dust and impurities. They seep through the paper and then end up in the stomach, where they remain. Due to such regular tea drinking, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted and the mucous membrane is irritated.
There are frequent cases of heartburn from sweet tea, to which honey has been added instead of sugar. At the slightest inflammation of the stomach, this product provokes an increase in acidity.
Can green tea cause heartburn?
You can often hear conflicting opinions about the effect of different types of tea on the occurrence of heartburn. It has been suggested that heartburn can occur from any tea, but not from green tea, since green tea is more beneficial for the human body.
Indeed, it has been scientifically established that if a drink is brewed from green tea leaves, it has greater activity as an antioxidant and contains more vitamins and minerals, which is explained by its easier processing.
So can green tea cause heartburn? - Yes, maybe, because the caffeine does not disappear from it. And besides, as mentioned above, hospitable hosts often end the holidays with this drink. Often tea is drunk on an already very full stomach, creating additional stress on the esophageal sphincter, which cannot withstand such pressure and opens, allowing the contents of the stomach into the esophagus.
Therefore, it does not matter what kind of tea you drink - green or black, excess hydrochloric acid and pressure on the gastric sphincter can lead to heartburn.
Green tea
This drink is known for its healing properties. But it contains many times more caffeine than black coffee. Up to 93 mg per standard cup! And in black - from 14 to 70 mg. So heartburn from green tea happens many times more often.
That is why drinking the drink is contraindicated for gastritis. Because it activates the production of hydrochloric acid in excess.
It is also forbidden to drink green tea with alcohol (a popular combination, oddly enough). Because in this case, a huge amount of aldehyde enters the body, which negatively affects the functioning of the kidneys and the digestive system as a whole.
You shouldn't drink it on an empty stomach either. This can cause irritation of the gastrointestinal mucosa.
Do herbal teas cause heartburn?
Most herbal teas with increased acidity further stimulate the production of pepsin. A few minutes after drinking the drink, heartburn appears. And this seemingly natural Hibiscus tea, taken during pregnancy, is completely harmful to the health of the mother and baby. During this period, it is better to use herbal drinks based on mint and ginger for heartburn and nausea. Drinking any sweet herbal tea after a heavy lunch can cause heartburn. The exception is a special gastric collection, which, on the contrary, has a beneficial effect on the well-being of patients.
Different types of tea
Undoubtedly, when choosing a tea product, especially a combined form with additives, it is important to consider the possibility of allergies. Tea with rose petals, cornflower, jasmine, ylang-ylang can provoke allergic reactions, dissonance in the activity of the stomach and body, which will manifest itself as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.
Excessive consumption of strong brewed tea (more than three cups per day) can lead to irritable bowel syndrome, thrombosis, intoxication of the kidneys and liver, and severe irritation of the walls of the esophagus, which is a provocateur of esophageal reflux.
Herbal tea and heartburn
Heartburn accompanies most diseases of the digestive tract. This is an extremely unpleasant symptom that is sometimes difficult to get rid of. The causes of heartburn can be both diseases of the digestive system and certain physiological conditions, such as pregnancy. In addition, heartburn can be the result of dietary errors. Treatment of heartburn using medicinal methods consists of prescribing antacids, proton pump inhibitors, antisecretory and other medications.
Tea for heartburn according to folk recipes
In addition to traditional methods of treatment, traditional medicine offers its own recipes for eliminating unpleasant symptoms. For example, making tea for heartburn. Here are some recipes for tea drinks to relieve heartburn.
Stomach tea for heartburn. To prepare this tea for heartburn, you need to take chamomile, mint and lemon balm (2 parts), angelica root (1.5 parts), fennel, caraway (1 part) and wormwood (0.5 parts). Pour medicinal raw materials in the recommended proportions with a liter of hot boiling water and simmer in a thermos for six hours. Add a little honey to the finished tea. This drink should be taken in small sips three times a day 40 minutes before meals. The medicine should be a little warm. The course of treatment is at least 10 days.
Infusion of yarrow, St. John's wort, mint and lemon balm. Medicinal herbs in equal proportions are poured with hot boiling water and brought to a boil. Then remove from heat and let sit for about 15 minutes. The tea is taken warm in small sips. The tea drink is taken in the morning and in the afternoon, regardless of meals. The medicine should be prepared daily to take fresh warm tea. A drink prepared more than a day ago loses its medicinal properties.
Tea made from calendula flowers. Calendula flowers in the amount of 20-30 g are poured with hot boiled water. The tea is steeped for several minutes. To improve the taste, you can add honey or jam to tea. This drink can be prepared with mint herb. Calendula will have a healing effect on the gastric mucosa irritated by hydrochloric acid, and mint, in this case, works as an antispasmodic. It is better to take tea at night.
Drink with aloe. Squeeze juice from fresh aloe leaves (about one tablespoon). Then brew regular black tea. However, the tea should not be strong. Add aloe juice to the tea drink and drink it warm in small sips. Aloe has a very beneficial effect on inflamed mucous membranes. The medicine has an unpleasant bitter taste, so you can add a little sugar or honey to it.
A tea drink to reduce gastric secretion. Mix chamomile flowers, plantain leaf and St. John's wort herb in equal proportions. Pour about two tablespoons of the mixture into a glass of hot water and bring to a boil. Then strain the broth and let it stand for about half an hour. The tea drink is taken on an empty stomach in the morning and in the evening two hours after the last meal. The course of treatment with a tea drink is two to three weeks.
