Tea and the effects of tea drinking

by W. Scott Tebb

Boerhaave, the great Dutch physician, and follower of Hippocrates and Sydenham had an objection to tea, but not so much to the herb itself as to the practice of drinking of hot liquids. He refers to those persons who “weaken their bodies with perpetual drinking of aqueous liquors; such is the very bad custom which prevails amongst the Dutch, who indulge themselves in a sedentary life, and all day long use those Asiatic drinks made of the berries of coffee or leaves of tea.”[12] He also attributed to these drinks certain nervous disorders. “I have seen a great many, so enervated by drinking too freely of those liquors (tea, coffee and the like) that they could hardly move their limbs, and likewise several who were seized with the apoplexy and palsy from that cause.”[13]

An early lay opponent of tea-drinking was John Wesley. He tells us that when he first went to Oxford with an exceedingly good constitution “he was somewhat surprised at certain symptoms of a paralytic disorder.” His hand shook especially after breakfast, and he observed that if he gave up tea-drinking for two or three days, the shaking ceased. On inquiry he found that tea had the same effect on others, and particularly on persons whose nerves were weak. This led him to lessen the quantity and to drink weaker tea, but still for about 26 years he was more or less subject to the same disorder. In 1746 he began to observe that a number of people in London were similarly affected, some suffering from the nerves with decay of bodily strength, and he asked them if they were hard drinkers, and learnt in reply that they drank nothing but a little tea, morning and evening. He came to the conclusion that they suffered from the effects of tea like he had himself. Wesley thought he should set an example and broke himself of a practice which had lasted for 27 years. The first three days he suffered from headache more or less all day long, and was half asleep from morning to night; on the third day his memory failed but the symptoms abated in the following day and his memory returned. He felt great benefit from the abstinence, and found that his hand was as steady at 45 as it had been at fifteen.

One of the most determined opponents of tea-drinking in the 18th century was Jonas Hanway, the eminent philanthropist and “father” of Sunday schools. His views may be gathered from the title of his work.[14] Owing to the results of this beverage he said “men seem to have lost their stature and comeliness; and women their beauty ... what Shakespeare ascribes to the concealment of love, is in this age, more frequently occasioned by the use of tea.... I am persuaded the inhabitants of this island will never increase in number nor enjoy a blooming health whilst they continue such an extravagant use of tea.” Hanway’s exaggerations succeeded in drawing Dr. Johnson into the controversy. The great man in a review of Hanway’s work said “he is to expect little justice from the author of this extract, a hardened and shameless tea-drinker who has for twenty years diluted his meals with only the infusion of this facinating plant, whose kettle has scarcely time to cool, who with tea amuses the evening, with tea solaces the midnights, and with tea welcomes the morning.”[15]

We learn from Boswell that “no person ever enjoyed with more relish the infusion of that fragrant leaf than Johnson. The quantities which he drank of it at all hours were so great, that his nerves must have been uncommonly strong, not to have been extremely relaxed by such an intemperate use of it.” Boswell says that Johnson assured him he never felt the least inconvenience from it. In a footnote to page 105 of Boswell’s “Life” we are informed that a Mr. Parker of Henley was in possession of a tea-pot which belonged to Dr. Johnson and held “above two quarts.”

At the end of the eighteenth century Dr. Lettsom, a well-known authority on the subject, published a work on the “Natural History of the Tea Tree.” He found that amongst the less hardy and robust complaints were ascribed to the drinking of tea “there are many who cannot bear to drink a single dish of tea without being immediately sick and disordered at the stomach, ... and that in irritable constitutions it speedily excited the nerves to such a degree as to give rise to uneasy sensations and bring on spasmodic affections.” He also says “I know people of both sexes, who are constantly seized with great uneasiness, anxiety, and oppression as often as they take a single cup of tea.” For children he thought it decidedly harmful; “children and very young persons in general, should as much as possible be deterred from the use of this infusion. It weakens their stomach, impairs the digestive powers and favours the generation of many diseases.” On the whole however, he was not altogether opposed to the practice in strong healthy vigorous adults, “to such it is undoubtedly wholesome and equal at least if not preferable to any other kind of regale now in use.” On another page we read that “if not drunk too hot, nor in too great quantities it is perhaps preferable to any other vegetable infusion we know.”

Quite at the end of the eighteenth century, Dr. Buchan, who was something of a medical reformer, and had naturally observed the results of tea-drinking thought that the ill-effects proceeded rather from the imprudent use of it than from any bad qualities in the tea itself. In his “Domestic Medicine” (p. 74) he says, “good tea, taken in moderate quantity, not too strong, nor too hot, nor drank upon an empty stomach, will seldom do harm, but if it be bad, which is often the case or substituted in the room of solid food, it must have many ill effects.” He observed that “females who live much on tea and other watery diet, generally become weak, and unable to digest solid food; hence proceed hysterics, and all their dreadful consequences.”

In the early part of the nineteenth century we have the opinion of William Cobbett, a vigorous writer and acute observer of the habits of the time in which he lived. In his “Advice to young men” Cobbett remarks “Let me beseech you to resolve to free yourselves from the slavery of the tea and coffee and other slop kettle, if unhappily you have been bred up in such slavery. Experience has taught me that those slops are injurious to health. Until I left them off (having taken to them at the age of 26) even my habits of sobriety, moderate eating, early rising, even these were not, until I left off the slops, sufficient to give me that complete health which I have since had.”

The most complete but painful description I have come across of the distressing symptoms occasionally associated with tea-drinking is given by Dr. James Henry[16] who writes in 1830. He refers to the case of a gentleman who commenced the use of tea of ordinary strength at the age of 14. Shortly afterwards sleep became less sound, and he became nervous and easily agitated about matters of small consequence. Afterwards he suffered from uneasiness even while sleeping, also from nightmare and palpitation of the heart. His sleep was disturbed during the whole period of ten years; during this time he took three cups of tea in the morning and three cups in the evening. At the age of 24 or 25 he used tea more freely and his sleep became more and more disturbed. He sometimes took tea twice in the same evening. The suffering was very great; he did not fall asleep at night until two o’clock and the agitation of mind and body was indescribable. The pulsations of the heart were sometimes quick and faint, and sometimes so violent that he could not lie on his left side. Sometimes the pulsations became scarcely perceptible for several moments, at such times the patient felt as if he were dying and if he fell asleep he awoke with a violent start. He wished to sleep that he might avoid the distressing sensations which he felt while awake, but feared to do so lest his awakening should be accompanied by frightful agony. After a time the distressing sensations were so marked especially just before going to bed that “in the society of my family I felt myself so agitated without any apparent cause that I was unable either to speak or think deliberately, or even to remain in one position and have been obliged that I might not be thought insane to rise abruptly, hurry out of the house and take violent exercise in the open air.” At 30 years of age he renounced tea and never suffered afterwards, “the very first night I slept soundly and I have never had any return either of sleeplessness or of starting or of the sensation of imminent death, unless on the rare occasions when I have returned to the use of tea.” Dr. Henry argued from the above case that “tea and coffee act as a poison upon some persons” and on turning his attention to the subject he found that such cases were far from uncommon, and concluded that like alcohol tea may be indulged in for a series of years without apparent ill consequences, but that sooner or later it undermines the health, and renders life miserable. As with alcohol he recognises two stages. The first stage was characterised by agreeable sensations in the stomach, moderate perspiration, quickened pulse and increased vivacity of mind and body. In the second stage there was irregular pulse, sometimes rapid, sometimes slow and intermitting, with palpitation and pains in the region of the heart—a vivacity of thought and action which is quite uncontrollable by the will, a painful insensibility to impressions of all kinds, twitchings of the muscles, disturbed sleep, frightful startings especially in the evening, irregular and sometimes cold perspiration, impaired appetite and defective circulation in the extremities. He concluded “that the immoderate use of tea and coffee produce a disease which bears a close resemblance to the delirium tremens of whisky drinkers, and which is almost identical with the diseased state induced by the excessive indulgence of opium.”

We now come to the opinion of the more recent authorities and a few remarks are necessary concerning the symptoms liable to result from excessive tea-drinking. In the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal for September 10th, 1868, a writer Dr. Pratt explains the effects on himself of 12 grains of the alkaloid of tea. After two hours there was great physical restlessness, a very uneasy state of mind which has been described by Lehmann as “mental anguish.” Soon after there was marked tremulousness of the hands and arms; the hand trembled so violently that it was impossible to write with any regularity. The mind was excessively uncomfortable and anxious which admitted not of the slightest rest; it was in a state of most active and persistent thinking in spite of all attempts at forgetfulness. The severe symptoms lasted about two hours. Dr. Pratt spoke to one of the most prominent New England lady writers. She had tried green tea when pressed to do a large amount of writing in a short time. Some time after taking a large quantity of tea she felt as “if there was nothing left but her head which furnished rapidly language or ideas of the best quality, and in goodly quantity all night long.” The next day there was headache and more or less prostration.

An important article on the “toxic effects of tea” was contributed by Dr. Morton[17] in 1879. He said that the bad effects of tea tasting were known and recognised by the tea tasters themselves and that few could carry on the business for many years without breaking down. The immediate effects of moderate doses were increased rapidity of pulse, increased respiration, agreeable exhilaration of mind and body, a feeling of contentment and placidity, and an increase of intellectual and physical vigour with no noticeable reaction. The immediate effects of an excessive dose, were a rapid elevation of the pulse and marked increase of respiration; there was no period of exhilaration, but immediate and severe headache, dimness of vision, ringing in the ears, and dulness and confusion of ideas. Following this a severe reaction with exhaustion of mind and body, tremulousness, nervousness and dread of impending harm. The effects of continued doses were—continuance of tremulousness, extreme susceptibility to outside impressions, constipation and diminution of urine.