Do Not Drink Tea After Alcohol
Do Not Drink Tea After Alcohol
In *Bencao Gangmu*, Li Shizhen explicitly described the dangers of drinking tea after alcohol: "Tea after drinking harms the kidneys, causes heaviness in waist and legs, bladder cold pain, and may trigger phlegm, water retention, and edema!"
Many people, lacking medical knowledge, habitually drink tea after alcohol, believing it helps quench thirst, aid digestion, and promote urination. This is a very unhealthy practice. Alcohol tastes pungent and sweet, entering the liver and lungs, raising yang energy and strengthening lung qi. Tea, however, tastes bitter and is yin in nature, descending in action. Drinking tea after alcohol—especially strong tea—is particularly harmful to the kidneys. After alcohol enters the liver, enzymes break it down into water and carbon dioxide, which are then excreted via the kidneys. Caffeine in tea promotes diuresis; strong tea contains more caffeine, forcing undecomposed acetaldehyde (the intermediate product formed when alcohol converts to acetaldehyde before becoming acetic acid, which is later broken down into CO₂ and water) into the kidneys too quickly. Since acetaldehyde strongly irritates the kidneys, it damages renal function, leading to cold stagnation, frequent cloudy urine, impotence, testicular pain, or constipation. Therefore, avoid strong tea after drinking alcohol; instead, consume melons, fruits, or fruit juices—these moisten dryness, aid digestion, and help sober up.