Tea and joint pain?

32 Replies
Bonnie said

Not surprised about teabag tea not being a problem because it’s hardly tea at all (more like tea dust and no idea how old).
In all my years in the tea community (I’m pretty hands on) I’ve known several people allergic to caffeine in general, one to black tea only (it’s processed differently than other tea and made the person moody) and several people who get jitters from one tea over another. Never ran into any allergic reactions…However…
I am allergic to things mixed with tea, even natural tea such as Rooibos, licorice root. Honey bush, soy, peanut or any item in the bean (legume) family! Always know what goes into your tea. Artificial flavoring that isn’t natural can go rancid and I can’t drink tea like that. Makes me sick!
Know how your tea is farmed (not as hard as you might think!). What natural fertilizer is used should be easy to find out.
I buy from a few sources that I trust because of my allergies, migraines and fibromyalgia.

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I am not so sure it is the caffeine, so much as the tea.I can drink other beverages with caffeine, without issue in most cases. One exception is if I drink too much coffee, it can upset my stomach. I was thinking in loose leaf there is more “tea essence” for lack of better words, and with the tea bags I just get mostly the caffeine. I love the loose leaf tea, and the only thing I ever really liked about tea bags was just that I could drink as much as I wanted, without much of an issue. The caffeine gets me through my day job. The loose leaf is SO much better, but if it is going to make my joints sore, I have to cut down…

Bonnie said

If you’re drinking tea bag tea and feel fine it’s because you’re getting small doses of whatever is there over time (you said you can drink many cups). Weak tea and caffeine is my best guess. Not the case with full leaf tea although not all tea t-shirt high in caffeine. The color of the tea doesn’t determine caffeine.
A good online vendor or tea shop should absolutely know what tea that they sell is high or low in caffeine.
Like most things in life worth the effort, tea takes a bit of trial and error to find your best match.
Try hojicha or a genmaicha green tea blend to lower caffeine. Some oolongs are low caffeine.

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Are you hydrating properly? I noticed that when my water consumption went down in the past few months (even though I was drinking loads of tea) I got really stiff joints. I wonder if the same thing is happening to you!

Also, how’s your diet? Maybe it’s not tea-related?

Bonnie said

Good point. I live at 5000 ft so hydration is important at all times!

The hydration is something that it could be. I am known to not hydrate properly. It has been that way my whole life. I will try drinking more water.

I forgot to add my diet is pretty good. I eat lots of greens, lots of protein, less fat, and few carbs.

There is also another symptom I can get, which is itchy skin, which sounds more like an allergy. I will try more water, and stick with tea bags now, and slowly re-introduce. At first, I was putting WAY too much tea into the blend, as I didn’t know what I was doing. I hope I can get this worked out, as I love the loose tea, and need the constant caffine while I am at work! Thanks for your replies! I will try more water!

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Psyck said

The article that potentially linked tea with RA was specific to black tea, so it would be a good idea for those suffering from such issues to switch from darker teas to lighter teas.

http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Health-News/green-tea-rheumatoid-arthritis/2016/02/18/id/714923/

Bonnie said

Good little article. I think tea helps me with pain.
The one problem though is that color means little. You really need to know what tea you have and reliable information (where it’s from, how produced, how fresh, caffeine content etc.). After this, there is some trial and error because I’ve found that individual tea’s effect people differently. I have a mild black tea that I’ve been drinking for years that helps me. It’s my go to. Puerh is another go to because of its body warming properties and ability to soothe digestion. Many fibromyalgia patients have problems getting warm in Winter and have stomach nausea.
I have a tea shop with organic tea that I go to several times a week. I watch videos, read, know my tea vendors personally as friends.
All this took time but the payback is worth it. I’m healthier than anyone with fibromyalgia and migraines in my support group (the only one not on narcotics).
My advice is always to know each tea (tea like wine is infinitely unique) and know your provider. If you can’t ask questions and get answers I’d go somewhere else.

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I just wanted to come back and thank Madam Oolong. Since reading your comment, I have started to hydrate better, and I find that really helps!

I started drinking yerba mate for a while, and found the my knuckles hurt, but not as much, so what I really think it was, is that I eat less carbs now, and was drinking more tea, and not more water.

So Bonnie might have been right also, in that it is a caffine issue. I have also cut my tea consumption down to 4 cups per day.

I was drinking 7 or 8 cups of lipton tea, but I think I was getting less caffeine. The loose tea I am drinking tea from has more caffeine. I am stilling having some issues, but they are getting better, and I am confident I am onto a possible solution!

Teasenz said

Are you sure loose tea has more caffeine? A tea bag consists of crushed tea, which releases more caffeine when you steep it. (even though loose leaf tea in raw form might have some more caffeine content).

Yay! So happy to help! Hydration can be so hard, but once you start drinking loads of water every day, it makes a huge difference, doesn’t it!

So, what kind of tea are you drinking? Very curious!

Hello! I see this topic is from many years ago but I want to share that I have been doing the autoimmune diet (AIP) to control autoimmune issues that I have and fibromyalgia. I started today with oolong tea, two cups spread in the morning to see if it adds benefits to my diet. But I am afraid it will not, I got pain in my joints that was fully gone with the AIP. What I have learned on my journey with autoimmunity problems is that we have food sensitivities and anything that give us our symptoms back means we are sensitive to that particular food. What is in the oolong tea that gives me sensitivity? I don’t know, but for sure it’s not the caffeine since coffee doesn’t give me joint pain. I also drink and cook with reverse osmosis filtered water. It could be the fluoride in the tea. Too bad but I certainly will have to stop the tea, or try another brand. Don’t forget to check for your food sensitivities it’s not the same as allergies.

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“herbal Nettle tea is extremely good for your joints.”
You make this claim as if you know that for a fact.
I must assume that you have some legit sources, in order to be this certain?
Could you link those please?

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CindySue said

Asterix the Gaul, I have the exact same thing as you having to do with joint pain after drinking a lot of tea. But one thing that I found very interesting is that at about the same time I started to have a taste aversion to tea steeped too long. I could taste the tannins, I think. I seem to have better luck when I just run the liquid through the tea so that the tannins do not have a chance to come out yet with steeping. It seems to eliminate the problem somewhat of pain in the joints. And I think it is funny that my tastebuds would tell me that I had had too much tannins when for years they had no aversion at all to anything in the tea. I must be sensitive to having my body tell me through taste that I have had too much of something. Please get back if you are still there. Thank you.

Psyck said

On the contrary, tannins are considered to be anti-inflammatory.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/tannins-in-tea

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