Is it okay to drink tea if you have high blood pressure?

Answer 1

The problem with this question is that you simply use the word "tea".
The thing is, there are over 3,000 different species of tea plant and well over 20,000 different types of tea infusions. On top of that, not all teas are made using traditional tea plants either.

Some teas are not okay for you to drink with high blood pressure, while others are.

The "standard" teas that you probably have for breakfast or at work, for example English Breakfast Tea, is high in caffeine, and therefore unsuitable for someone with high blood pressure.
However peppermint green tea and most fruit teas on the other hand has zero caffeine and is therefore fine for someone with high blood pressure.


In short:

• If the tea variety has high caffeine, the answer is no.
• If the tea has low caffeine, the answer is yes, but not too much.
• If the tea is decaf or is a variety which has no caffeine (such as peppermint teas or most fruit teas), then the answer is yes.
  

All teas are healthy, but green teas and fruit teas are generally healthier and more beneficial than most black teas. Tea also has zero calories, unless you add milk and/or sugar.
If you like your tea sweetened, I would advise using honey rather than sugar due to your high blood pressure.

Some teas are said to help reduce blood pressure. One example is Hibiscus Tea, which is actually prescribed by doctors in some Middle-Eastern countries for high blood pressure.


Recommended tea suppliers:

• Twinings Tea
• Pukka Herbs Tea