What are the benefits and risks of drinking buckwheat tea regularly?
Nov 26, 2024
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Yang Ziqi
Introduction
In general, long-term consumption of buckwheat tea may have benefits such as assisting in lowering blood lipids, aiding weight loss, supporting antioxidant effects, improving sleep, and promoting spleen function and digestion. However, potential drawbacks may include allergic reactions, impaired spleen and stomach function, exacerbated cold body symptoms, increased hunger, and effects on blood glucose levels. Individuals allergic to buckwheat or with weak spleen and stomach function should avoid drinking it.
Generally speaking, long-term consumption of buckwheat tea may have the following benefits: assisting in lowering blood lipids, aiding weight loss, supporting antioxidant effects, improving sleep, and promoting spleen function and alleviating stagnation. However, potential adverse effects may include allergic reactions, impaired spleen function, exacerbation of cold body symptoms, increased hunger, and fluctuation of blood glucose levels. A detailed explanation is as follows:
I. Benefits
1. Assisting in lowering blood lipids
Buckwheat tea contains abundant dietary fiber and flavonoids. These components help promote cholesterol metabolism, thereby lowering blood lipid levels and playing a preventive role in cardiovascular diseases such as hyperlipidemia and hypertension.
2. Aiding weight loss
Buckwheat tea is low in calories and rich in dietary fiber, which helps increase satiety, promote intestinal motility, and support digestion and metabolism, thus facilitating weight loss.
3. Supporting antioxidant effects
Polyphenols in buckwheat tea have strong antioxidant properties. They can scavenge free radicals, assist in delaying aging, and potentially enhance immunity.
4. Improving sleep
Buckwheat tea contains a natural magnesium element, which can relieve nervous tension and thus help improve sleep quality, alleviate anxiety, and reduce stress.
5. Promoting spleen function and alleviating stagnation
The main component of buckwheat tea is buckwheat, which has the effect of regulating qi flow. It can promote the movement of qi in the spleen, enhance the spleen's transformation and transportation functions, and thus improve qi stagnation conditions.
II. Adverse effects
1. Allergic reactions
Some individuals may be allergic to buckwheat. Drinking buckwheat tea may trigger allergic symptoms such as bloating, acid reflux, diarrhea, and vomiting. Therefore, people allergic to buckwheat should avoid drinking buckwheat tea.
2. Impairing spleen and stomach function
Buckwheat tea is slightly cold in nature. Long-term and excessive consumption may increase coldness in the spleen and stomach, leading to impaired function and causing symptoms such as abdominal pain, acid reflux, and belching.
3. Worsening cold body symptoms
Due to the slightly cold nature of buckwheat tea, individuals with a cold body constitution may experience an increase in internal coldness if consumed long-term, leading to persistent or worsening symptoms such as cold hands and feet, intolerance to cold, and fatigue.
4. Increasing hunger
Because buckwheat tea promotes digestion and metabolism, drinking it while hungry for a prolonged period may intensify feelings of hunger.
5. Affecting blood glucose levels
People with hypoglycemia may experience symptoms such as fatigue, sweating, and hand tremors due to the blood sugar-lowering effect of buckwheat tea if consumed excessively.
Before drinking buckwheat tea, one should understand their body constitution and health status. Those allergic to buckwheat or with weak spleen and stomach function should avoid consumption. Additionally, to prevent increased hunger or discomfort, it is recommended not to drink buckwheat tea on an empty stomach; instead, it is better to consume it half to one hour after meals.
