Can I drink tea while taking traditional Chinese medicine?

In traditional Chinese medicine theory, tea, especially green tea, has effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, and promoting diuresis. However, its components may interact with certain herbal medicines.

Tea is considered a stimulating beverage. During medication, if the patient's spleen and stomach are weak, drinking tea may stimulate gastric acid secretion, intensify the sensation of stomach pain, and hinder the healing process. Tea may also reduce the effectiveness of herbal medicines. Strong tea, in particular, contains higher levels of tannic acid and should be avoided even more strictly.

The caffeine and theophylline in tea have a stimulating effect on the nervous system. When consumed together with calming herbal medicines such as Ziziphus jujuba seed (Suanzaoren) and Polygala tenuifolia (Yuanzhi), they may diminish the sedative effects.

The tannic acid in tea easily combines with alkaloids in herbal medicines to form insoluble precipitates. This not only may affect the absorption of active ingredients in the herbal medicine but could also potentially lead to the formation of calculi (stones).

To ensure the therapeutic effectiveness of herbal medicine, patients are advised to avoid drinking tea while taking herbal medications. If an individual has a habit of drinking tea and the prescribed herbal medicine has no specific contraindications, they may, under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist, selectively consume weak tea and ensure an appropriate time interval between tea consumption and medication intake to minimize the impact on drug efficacy.