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Green Tea Headaches - 10-27-2011, 03:41 PM

I first drank green tea when I was 13. I was told it would relax me, but I ended up getting a headache. Years later I tried a can of cold green tea and the same thing happened! I've drank it several other times and still got headaches and some anxiety. Is there an ingredient in green tea or tea that would cause this?
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10-27-2011, 06:48 PM

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Originally Posted by baraku85 View Post
I first drank green tea when I was 13. I was told it would relax me, but I ended up getting a headache. Years later I tried a can of cold green tea and the same thing happened! I've drank it several other times and still got headaches and some anxiety. Is there an ingredient in green tea or tea that would cause this?
Do you drink anything caffeinated? If not, then perhaps the caffeine in the tea may be giving you the headaches and the anxiety.
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10-27-2011, 08:48 PM

I drink soda all the time, but I don't drink coffee. I just thought there was a certain ingredient in green tea.
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10-27-2011, 09:02 PM

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I drink soda all the time, but I don't drink coffee. I just thought there was a certain ingredient in green tea.
There may well be something in the tea that is causing this. I just knew about the caffeine connection.
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10-27-2011, 11:54 PM

There is a difference whether you simmer the tea for several minutes like one does with black tea, or the recommended 45 seconds (or so). If the tea leaves are dried, 45 second simmering will only bring a mild taste, but that's just because the tea is old. Basically, green tea is supposed to be consumed while fresh and let simmer only a short time.

Also as slightly related, there are some flu medicines that have caffeine to give the body strength to rest (for when the body is exhausted beyond being able to rest properly). The relaxing effect of the green tea might be attributed to that. Anyway, I don't connect green tea with relaxation at all. Quite the opposite.

With regards to headaches, morally I can only say that if you see a connection between green tea and them, I'd suggest you find an alternative.
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10-28-2011, 04:44 AM

I aggre with acjama, green tea is not for relaxing. For me the effect is different, I get hungry the same way as I drink coffee. If I want to relax, I drink herbal tea, no caffiene like chamomile tea.


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10-28-2011, 02:04 PM

I don't get headaches but I do get buzzed off of green tea. Basically it doesn't have caffeine in it but DOES have theobromine which for some people can give them side effects. It would seem that you're quite sensitive to it, so probably best you avoid green tea.
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11-23-2011, 09:20 AM

Could be the tannins in the green tea; they are most commonly associated with items like red wine and chocolate. While there's no doubt tannins can trigger migraines, the mechanism is pure theory at this time---while having anti-oxidant properties, they also act as anti-nutrients (like phytic acid), and can bind to nutrients as well as to the GI tract itself. In the case of migraines, they are thought to interfere with the utilization of serotonin.
I'd suggest trying both black and white tea; white is less fermented than green; while the actual level of catechins will be higher than green, the fermentation/oxidation process may be creating compounds that are triggering your headache.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, also try black tea; it has less catechin than either white or green.

Last edited by Baldwin : 11-23-2011 at 09:36 AM.
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11-23-2011, 07:25 PM

If you still want to try green tea, along with the recommendation of shortening the brewing time, check to see what variety of green tea you ar drinking. "Green" only refers not only to the amount of aging the leaves have undergone, but also includes several different plant varieties. You may find some varieties affect you less than others, as well as who is packaging them.

I consume several quarts of tea daily, but depending on which it is, I have significantly different responses. Good quality jasmine tends to mellow me, while pouchong basically jasmine without the flowers) seems to energize me. Most of the time I drink genmai, but I have noticed significant differences between brands.


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09-10-2014, 08:29 AM

headache from green tea? I heard this first time
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