Green Tea and Arthritis - Cause Swollen Feet?

by Marie
(Florida)

I bought a bag of bulk green tea from ebay. I took about 1.4 grams a day for an arthritic knee after an old work injury.


After 4 days, my feet were swollen.

I stop the tea and swelling went away. I need the green tea but now I am scared of drinking it? What do you think?

Answer:

Marie, green tea is supposed to be good for inflammation and arthritis, but in you case, I really am not so sure. Given that it causes you to have swollen feet, I would advise that you stay from it for a while.

Anyone has any other views or experience to share?

Julian

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May 18, 2010
 Re: Green Tea and Swollen Feet
by: Anonymous

I recently starting having extremely swollen feet. I've never had this problem. And I've also recently started drinking a lot of green tea every day. In my case, I really think the tea is causing my problem, so you may be on to something.
Jul 24, 2010
 swollen feet
by: Anonymous

I, too, recently started to drink green tea in place of water and noticed my feet became swollen.

Trying to figure out the cause of swelling, I came to this website and after reading the comments have come to the conclusion it must be the tea. The days I drank a lot of tea are the days the swelling appeared. Consequently,it seems moderation is the key.
Aug 20, 2010
 Swollen feet
by: Anonymous

I drank brisk iced tea and i began to have swelling in the feet. I stop drinking it and it goes away.I don't know what causes it.
Aug 24, 2010
 Swellng and green tea
by: Anonymous

Oddly my knee was really swollen last week. Only thing different is I drank A LOT of Trader Joes unsweetened Green tea. Laid off it and swelling went down. Couldn't resist drinking it in the heat, and my knee ballooned up again!? Odd.
Sep 18, 2010
 Swollen feet
by: lino

After drinking 4 liters of ice tea a day without any other liquid drinks/water for a week now, I'm now suffering of a swollen foot.

This has happened to me a longtime ago but it is only now that I've concluded what caused it.

I only hope it wasn't because I love ice tea!
Sep 22, 2010
 Bottled Teas have a lot of sugar
by: SenchaKing

Real green tea is not Lipton that comes in 20oz bottle. That tea contains traces of real green tea or extracts but has a lot of bad artificial things in it.

Real green tea should be of a greenish color because this means that it has not yet oxidized and lost it's full nutritional value.

I have been drinking green tea for the past five to six years and here are some great teas. Many of these teas are found on this site.

Look below for more suggestions:

Sencha Green Tea- This is a generic name for everyday loose green tea or tea-bagged tea. This is also reasonably priced.

Gyokuro Green Tea- This is essentially sencha that has been shaded from the sea during the later stages of it's growing cycle.This causes the tea leafs to turn a very dark green.This tends to be sweeter than sencha and also costs more.

Tea-Bagged Teas- "Uncle Lee's Tea" from Walmart is decent because it is actually green and in a bag.

Trader Joe's green tea bags

Any made in japan "sencha" tea bags.

"Ito-En" bottled green tea beverages have small amounts of sugar and are made by a Japanese company
Jan 13, 2011
 Green Tea
by: Anonymous

Iam glad I found this website because I RECENTLY STARTED DRINKING GREEN TEA,OOLONG TEA AN CHAMOMILE TEA BECAUSE I SAW NIT ON DR.OZ.aT NIGHT TIME

I started having excessive itching on muy toes and they would swell. I am going to stop the tea n see if the swelling goes away.
Jun 24, 2011
 At last
by: Anonymous

Finally! I only drank green tea because I thought it was sooooo good for me.

When I would tell people that I thought it made me retain water; ie, feet and ankle swelling--they thought it wasn't the tea.

But when I would go away, and not drink the tea, the feet swelling would subside. Glad others share the problem. All of our systems are different!
Oct 07, 2011
 Tea & swollen feet
by: Anonymous

After several years of experiencing this swollen foot/feet I finally narrowed it down to whenever I would drink lots of tea.

I prefer Ice Tea and would literally drink a lot of it. When I lay off the swelling goes away. Now when I do breakdown and drink ANY tea caffine or decaf, green or any other variety this happens and it happens now after a couple of cups of tea/glasses or ice tea.

This is extremely annoying as I LOVE tea...I truly wonder WHY this occurs...but now after finding these articles I don't feel like a nut trying to match the swelling foot/feet (generally it is only my left foot)to ingesting of tea.

I have an rx for lasic to counteract these side effects. I try my best to stay with water.
Nov 07, 2011
 Green Tea
by: Fast Eddie

Nov.7, 2011: I have noticed that when I drink a lot of green tea my ankle begins to swell. I am only drinking green tea twice a week!
Dec 03, 2011
 Yikes, DoMatcha, I never would have imagined it
by: Deaniegirl

I was drinking 1 tsp DoMatcha every morning. Then I had bariatric surgery and stopped drinking for 2 months.

I started again 2 days ago, and WAA LAA, swollen ankles!! I thought for SURE it was something else (I'm losing a lot of weight, and thought I might be retaining water).

I will stop drinking DoMatcha immediately to see if this is the cause.

And from the other comments, I'm afraid it might be! Wow, who would have thought green tea would be a problem!!!

That makes me really sad! I love green tea and was so hoping for its medical benefits to help me in my weight loss!!

Thanks to all who entered the information above. If you hadn't, I might not have made this connection myself!
Dec 08, 2011
 Jasmine Green Tea & Arthritis
by: Shawn

I have got Arthritis and started drinking very high quality Jasmine Pearl Tea. I have got severe pain in the last few days. I thought is was the tea but every article I found on web advised me that green tea is great for Arthritis.

That is all bunch of rubbish. Thank God I found this site. Now I am convinced it is the tea because I eat nothing but fruit, vegetable soup, and Salmon. All great for Arthritis.

There is so much garbage on the web. Take care all.
Jan 09, 2012
 Foot Pain due to Geen Tea
by: Anonymous

This is a definite condition, as my wife and I both experienced an increase in foot pain drinking green tea on a daily basis.

We were not sure why we had the pain at first, but finally stopped the tea, and over the course of a few days the pain subsided.

We normally drink black tea daily, and perhaps there is a substance saturation that the body is reacting to. We enjoy the green tea for its positive health effects, but for us the pain was unbearable.
Apr 20, 2012
 Flavored Ice Teas
by: Anonymous

I just noticed today after drinking a liptons peach ice tea that the swelling in my feet had returned. I had gone a couple of weeks without it and didn't think anything of it until tonight and put two and two together.

So I decided to google it and found this site and it confirmed my suspicions. No more ice tea for me, I miss my lovely slender feet!

Anyone able to tell me specifically what ingredients are in these instant teas that cause the swelling?

Thank you in advance!
Jun 01, 2012
 Tea and aching feet
by: Anonymous

I recently switched from those packets of flavored teas you can add to a container of water to tea bags since I had just received an iced tea maker.

My feet did not swell, but the bottoms of my feet hurt so bad it was sooooooo painful to walk.

I went away on vacation and did not drink tea at all and the foot pain went away...hmmmmmm.
Aug 21, 2012
 Green Tea makes me swell
by: Fast Eddie, Jr.

I have been drinking the sparkling green tea in the bottle, everytime I drink the tea my ankles swell.
Aug 28, 2012
 ME TOO!
by: Anonymous

NO WAY!!! i have been experiencing pain in both my feet first thing in the morning, as well as swollen feet and ankles. my menstrual cycle has been increasingly irregular the older i get, but i decided to make an appointment with my doctor about the swelling AFTER my period was over to rule out bloating/water retention. the more i thought about it, i realized that even with my period has always been pretty irregular but i have never experienced bloating, ever. I tried to think of any and everything i could have been doing differently lately so i could narrow down the possible culprit. sudddely i thought ,"OOLONG TEA!". i have been drinking it regulary but not daily, for about a month. i googled oolong tea and swelling and i found this!
Dec 19, 2012
 Tea and swelling feet and ankles
by: Anonymous

I too have noticed that after drinking green tea, oolong tea, black tea, etc., my feet and ankles swell. I had not drank any in a week or so, and noticed the swelling had subsided. I drank some this morning and a couple of hours later noticed my feet and ankles look like tree stumps. Throwing it all away!!!! I will stick to Grapefruit Juice, Cranberry Juice and Pomegranate Juice and most definitely WATER!
Jan 24, 2013
 Green tea, arthritis and swollen - joints
by: Anonymous

After 2 weeks of drinking green tea, I noticed my pain had increased. Started noting edema in hands knees and ankles. I also did this when i tried glucosamine. Anyone know what the reason would be.
Mar 19, 2013
 Green/White Tea & Foot & Leg Swelling
by: Swisstoon

I had been drinking green tea...from 6-8 cups a day...for several years. About a year and a half ago, I noticed swelling in my feet and lower legs.

It was only in the past month that I thought there might be a correlation between all that tea and the swelling. Actually, my first inclination was to suspect that the sweetener (the pink packet) had something to do with it because of the calcium silicate it contained.

First, I cut back on the sweet stuff. Then I cut back slightly on the tea. Didn't notice much difference. I switched to white tea and noticed a slight improvement.

But it was only after I cut back to two cups of white tea a day that the swelling subsided substantially. I'm ready to go cold turkey for a few days to see if that brings my feet completely back to normal.
May 22, 2013
 Green tea extract and swollen feet
by: Edna

I started taking the Green Tea Extract capsules. I noticed the swelling in my feet and ankles. I am pretty healthy and was taking it as precautionary measure to keep me healthy but I'm stopping it today. I know it was the Green Tea capsules because I'm not really taking any thing else.
May 22, 2013
 Oolong tea
by: Chezza

For the last four months I have had the most excruciating pain in my foot, in particular the arch. (Stabbing pain on my sole followed by an intense burning sensation) I was about to get it checked out at the doctors when a friend asked, "could it be something you're eating" after working out what I had introduced into my diet over that time, there was only one thing Oolong tea, but how could tea cause that pain. I googled and found this site... Thank you!!

Five days in from stopping the tea and my foot is pain free, and my leg (which I hadn't realised was so swollen) is starting to reduce.

It must be the process green & oolong tea goes through to result in this side effect for some people.

Keep spreading the word, a simple change in tea, can cause havoc!!
Jun 11, 2013
 Not just green tea
by: Anonymous

I decided to stop drinking regular sweet tea because of its diuretic properties. It seemed after three days all the water weight that I normally have came off of me like after taking a water pill. I wondered if it was connected to not drinking the tea. I looked down out my usually swollen feet, but not normal feet and decided to Google sweet tea and edema. That's how I found this site. I don't know if the edema will stay away if I stay away from tea, but if it is related, just wanted to let you know you may not want to count out only green tea.
Nov 26, 2013
 Face swelling
by: Anonymous

i started using green tea with caffeine and i got breakout (acne ) on my face, so i came on conclusion that caffeine gives me breakout so i bought green tea without caffeine , i like the flavour ,i am also loosing weight but still my family and friend mebers are calling me chubby ( because of swollen face ),weight scale is reducing weight but looking more fat ( chubby face ),i was keep wondering why this is hapening to me ,then thought to stop green tea and i stop using it and my face swelling decreases. so green tea gives me swelling on face.i just have to stop using green tea because it is giving me too many sideeffect like breakout ,acne ,swelling.
Feb 19, 2014
 Swollen knees
by: Anonymous

I have pretty much been knee pain free for quite some time. Then I started drinking green tea. Knees are once again swollen after only 3 days. I will quit drinking it again to see what happens
Feb 24, 2014
 Green tea and swelling
by: Anonymous

I noticed that since I started drinking qualitea green tea my left ankle kept swelling tank God for this site I will not drink all these again tank u so much I would have spent money unnecesarily on drugs
Mar 02, 2014
 Green tea causes swollen feet
by: razan

I started drinking green tea about a month ago.. i wanted to lose some weight but instead I had swollen feet,hands and face.. I searched online to see the cause of that and I found out that green tea was the reason.
Apr 18, 2014
 Hand swelling after taking on tea drinking
by: Anonymous

I never drink much water - don't like the taste of it. But in the past week or two I have been drinking loads of green tea. I begin noticing hands swollen in the morning and getting worse by the day, stay swollen even in the PM. Searched for the connection and took a long time to find this website - it seems that some stuff in green tea could causes water retention. Will stop and hope to get better.
Jul 24, 2014
 Green Tea
by: Mac

I was searching to find a tea that diminishes ankle swelling when I came upon these comments. I have been drinking lots of green tea lately and my ankles continue to swell. I will try not drinking it for a few days and see what happens. I don't eat salt and eat a pretty healthy diet. Is there any other teas that helps edema? Anyone know?
Aug 25, 2014
 Me too...
by: Anonymous

Oh my, thought it was just me!? Been drinking Yogi green tea stamina for ages b4 working out, recently by the time I get to the treadmill my ankles (face too!) knees, and feet are so swollen can't fit in my shoes! My stomach gets so bloated, another thing that never happened and I'm itching like crazy. Guess I'll add this to my list of allergies.
Aug 26, 2014
 Tea must be the culprit.
by: Anonymous

I have experienced the same symptoms. I would love to know what and why this happens as I am such a tea lover. Even freshly brewed iced tea seems to cause swelling. I was an avid drinker of Dunkin's iced tea and found my feet would swell every day. If I do not drink tea, my feet return to normal. I drank a bottle of diet brisk yesterday and my foot is swollen today. I have end brewed a cup from a tea bag and added my own ice and still swelling Ugh.. It's so annoying. No more tea for me. So sad!
Sep 18, 2014
 Tea & cruising
by: Anonymous

I have gotten swollen ankles and feet the last two years that I went on a cruise. A day or so into the cruise my ankles would swell and then my feet, this year I finally said no more cruises. I googled it and thought maybe it was just a circulation problem the minute I leave the cruise I don't have anymore swelling. It just dawned on me after reading this forum that I would have 1 to 2 glasses of iced tea with my dinner, this could be the culprit. I hope so I can give up the iced tea but not cruising.
Sep 28, 2014
 Tea and swelling
by: Cindy

I too have been swelling and it seems to have started AFTER I began drinking a lot of iced tea. I am a huge diet coke fan and switched to tea thinking it would be healthier (I'm sure it is!) but the swelling is to uncomfortable, so I plan to drink water and throw in a diet coke once in awhile.
Oct 11, 2014
 Oolong tea causes me swollen feet and legs
by: Anonymous

This is wonderful that i found this site I couldn't figure out what was giving me the swollen legs and feet after reading all the comments I am sure now that it was the oolong tea.

I started drinking it to help with my weight loss journey. Well I hope someone dose more research on this matter, I am going to call my mom and grandma to let them know this information.

My mom suffers from swollen and painful aching feet and my grandma swollen legs have been a problem for her for as long as I can remember and they both drink tea daily. Well I guess its back to drinking just good ol'plain water:)
Nov 24, 2014
 Green tea
by: Anonymous

I started having green tee a couple of weeks ago and my right feet got swollen. I will stop having it to see if it improves.
Nov 24, 2014
 Affected also
by: Anonymous

I recently started to use green tea and my right ankle and feet got swollen. Thanks to the people sharing their experiences, I finally get to the same conclusion the green tee usage affects in a long term. It is better consuming it a couple of days a week.
Feb 28, 2015
 Green tea and swollen leg
by: Skray

I get swollen feet after consuming green tea, why it happens, does it affect kidney or liver or heart?
Apr 14, 2015
 Green Tea & Arthritis-Cause Swollen Feet?
by: Carolyn

I love this blog & pray that this may be the answer to my problem with swollen feet. I've modified my diet to the lowest recommendation for sodium, yet,do not have improvement in the swelling. It's not major, yet it is swelling. I love green tea and all tea, so because of the comments above, I'm going to stop drinking all teas. I love plain, sugar free teas. I am praying that this may be the answer to my dilemma, since I'm also doing all kinds of exercise, & living a healthy & clean lifestyle. Thanks to al the people above for your comments. I pray this may be the answer I am seeking. :)
Apr 26, 2015
 Oolong Tea
by: Ann of Nevada

I started drinking oolong tea first week of March 2015, because I want to control my weight and also get the benefits of the green tea. I have never thought that oolong tea will cause pain and swelling. I will drink like a cup every after meal. About 2 to 3 cups a day. I have no swelling and pain before I started this tea and now I will wakeup in the morning swelling feet and legs and even my fingers is painful.
May 09, 2015
 Green tea, arthritis and swollen legs!
by: Anonymous

I only ever drink decaf tea or coffee. Recently, I started drinking ordinary Green tea about 5 cups a day (I read in a magazine that it helps with weight loss), however within 3weeks, I noticed swelling on both my legs. My colleagues said it's what you call "pitting edema"I started wearing support stockings & elevated my legs when I go to bed. Both didn't help. I also noticed arthritic pain on my right hand. I suspected green tea could be the culprit but I have nothing to support my suspicion.

I am glad I came across this site, I will lay off green tea from now on.
May 31, 2015
 Green tea = swollen legs, kness, water retention, and pain in toes and fingers
by: Anonymous

Like many of you, I Googled to see if the green tea I just started consuming for weight loss (about 3 cups a day) could be the culprit for the extreme pain in my fingers, and toes, and the swelling was so bad in my legs, that it was hard for me to throw on a pair of jeans, it seemed everything was swollen! The only thing I've done differently, is add the Green Tea... Glad I ran across this site, it seems that it's a cause and a problem for many with swellling.. too bad, because I realky liked the energy and weight loss from green tea :(
Aug 10, 2015
 Green Tea
by: Anonymous

I started drinking green tea and my left leg started to hurt so I stop drinking it for 3 days and it stop hurting. Than I started again and now that same leg hurts again. Can anybody tell me whats going on with this.
Sep 09, 2015
 Green Tea and Black Tea
by: Anonymous

Hi, I just came across this site and wanted to add my comments. In mid-June I had a bicycle accident that injured my lower left leg to some degree, with swelling and pain and some difficulty walking. I was on crutches for a bit and can now walk much better BUT the entire time of my convalescence, I've been drinking both Tradewinds Green Tea with Honey and Arizona Sweet Tea jugs. I've been swilling the stuff with the idea that it's supposed to be HELPFUL and lo and behold my left leg edema never seems to go away entirely and my completely normal RIGHT LEG is now showing signs of edema too, especially at NIGHT. And talk about ITCHING...I've developed a dermatitis like rash on the left leg that is driving me mad. :P I'm stopping tea cold turkey. THANKS for your comments!
Sep 14, 2015
 tea made me blimp out
by: eddie

from time to time i drink 2 cups of tea a day... never noticed my feet swelling before. i'm 47 now... one day i made a pitcher of tea using black and green tea bags. in about 18hrs i had approximately 6 cups of tea. then i noticed that my feet were swelling. This never happened before. the only other things i had to eat that day were scrambled eggs, turkey with no preservatives, oatmeal, blueberries and strawberries. i am a type 2 diabetic but my a1c is under the limit. taking meds for diabetes and high blood pressure for the past 4 years. 3 hrs exercise a week.
Oct 19, 2015
 White tea swollen ankle
by: Sam

After 7 days of drinking white tea my ankle swollen with pain.
Oct 24, 2015
 Pokka oolong tea
by: John Ong

I drink green tea(Stash brand) every morning and drink Pokka oolong tea every night. Not I'm suffering pain in my right hand knuckles I cant bend it up it hurts. I think the tea I drunk is causing this arthritis pain. Do you think this is the cause? My diet most of the time chicken steam and bokchoy.
Dec 19, 2015
 Black or green
by: Anonymous

I would say regular green tea contains caffeine and caffeine causes me great swelling of hands and feet as well as headaches. Decaf would be the best bet and it does help with my joint pain. It s alkaline. Black tea is not.
Mar 09, 2016
 Arizona Green Tea with honey
by: Anonymous

Amapzing! I Was not imagining!
Apr 05, 2016
 Matcha green tea powder!!
by: Anonymous

Two days ago I went to the tea store called Teavana. They gave samples of their tea and one suggested the matcha green tea powder. They gave me a full cup. Right away I started to feel my left foot and leg seem to tighten. Didn't really think any of it, I mean tea? Really? Nah. My foot is still swollen after two days and the green tea is the only new thing I have introduced into my body. I told my husband that I think it's the green tea. I had to google and I can't believe there are so many other ppl who are experiencing the same things. I have now been taking the detox tea (triple leaf and Pukka brand) for the ankle swelling. It took it away. šŸ˜Š Someone needs to do some research on this!!
Apr 16, 2016
 Tea and swelling legs and ankles
by: Anonymous

I used to drink tea all the time as I did not like coffee and never had issues, but about 12 years ago I started to drink coffee and when I drank tea my legs/ankles swelled.

I was under the impression it was the Tannins in the tea but coffee also has tannins and I have no problems with coffee.

I love tea, just plain hot or cold and always organic but when I drink I suffer for two days with swelling and it is funny when I swell my Glaucoma eye pressure goes up also. ??? Sad I just don't drink except on a very rare occasion.
Aug 31, 2016
 Stopped Drinking GT & Edema is 90% Reduced.
by: M T C

Used to drink green tea (GT) twice daily since late 1999.(2 tea bags) Then around 2004, ankles would sometimes swell. Swelling (edema) gradually became more persistent and worse. Skin became so tight that a minor skin scrape took more than a month to heal. While on a trip, summer 2016, neglected to drink the GT and the swelling promptly diminished. Stopped drinking the GT and the feet & ankles are about 90% normal. Can now wear shoes that remained in the closet for over 10 years. This may seem strange because many sites say green tea is good for reducing edema.
Feb 03, 2017
 Black Tea Causes Swelling and Puffy Face
by: Anonymous

I have been complaining about joint pains, swelling in my hands and feet, also heart palpitation for almost three years. I started to closely watch what I drink and their effects. I knew one thing for sure that green tea makes me horribly sick. Then, I thought since the green tea and black tea made out of the same plant, black tea might be the cause of swelling, pain and heart palpitation. I have stopped drinking black tea for about a week now, and I already feel better. Swelling in my hands and feet is gone ! No heart palpitation, even my face looks smaller (it looked very puffy for almost for 3 years).

Feb 09, 2017
 With
by: Anonymous

Green tea I have started feet pain
May 07, 2017
 Swollen feet
by: Anil

Sir my mom's feet is swelled so she demand for drinking tea can I give her tea for drinking
May 25, 2017
 Any remedies?
by: Stubborn

My feet, ankles and legs swell from green tea, but I don't want to stop drinking it. Does anyone know if it is from water retention? or is it an allergic reaction? Is there a way to counter act this?
Jun 26, 2017
 how about white tea
by: Anonymous

has any one tried white tea to see if it does the same? I'm a huge green tea drinker have arthitus in my right ankle and notice the swelling also so going to try white tea and see if there is still an issue
Oct 15, 2017
 Swollen feet
by: Anonymous

Yes my feet are swollen to after drinking green tea even if it's just one cup. I also have arthritis. I like the green tea cause it regulates my tummy.
Nov 06, 2017
 Green Tea swollen legs and feet
by: Anonymous

I am so happy that I came across this discussion. I thought I was going crazy! I picked up drinking Green Tea and Black Tea, believing it was a healthy addition to my diet. However, My legs and feet began to swell. I could not figure it out to save my life. I have become very fond of drinking my warm teas, but I see it IS possible the tea is causing this swelling. I am going to refrain from drinking it for a few days to see if the swelling goes down. I wish I had an answer for this. I will see if the tea is the problem.
Jan 08, 2018
 Try white tea
by: Anonymous

I figured out about a year ago the certain teas were making my hands and feet swell. The one tea that doesn't do it is white tea. I have no idea why but you should try it. Good luck.
Jan 13, 2018
 Tea causes ankle edema
by: Anonymous

I had problems with ankles swelling and needed to take a diuretic. I stopped having one cup of tea in the morning and the swelling of ankles stopped. I restarted the tea to check again using a different type of tea bag. Again I got ankle swelling. This has happened with green tea and with raspberry tea made from tea bags. I did not have more then one cup. I do believe some people have a problem drinking a small amount of tea without causing edema. It sounds like simple osmosis.
Feb 12, 2018
 Green Tea and Pain
by: Albert

Always Drank Coffee but switched to Green Tea about 3 weeks ago.I always have pain but after drinking about 5 cups of Green Tea a Day,I experienced pain to the point of barely walking.every bone in my body hurts.Im done with the Tea,Its the Tea.
Feb 15, 2018
 Swelling and pain/Green Tea
by: Anonymous

I drink green tea, and have swollen feet, hands and hurt everywhere. No more Green or Black tea.
Apr 09, 2018
 swollen ankle fro drinking green tea
by: Anonymous

Every time I drink green tea may ankles swells up.
I also take high blood pressure medication so I was wondering if it has something to do with my high blood pressure medication.
Jun 25, 2018
 Unreal Results!
by: Dallas Pete

Hi Everyone. Thank you for taking the time to add to this blog. Because of you, I have figured out what has been troubling me the past six months. I'm a 52 yr old male who made the decision Jan 1st to stop drinking Soda and supplement this with TEA. Because I'm a runner and heavy sweater, It makes sense for me to drink a lot of fluids during the day. So I have been drinking Hot and Cold Tea daily for the past five months. One morning in January I noticed that my dress shoes weren't fitting comfortable anymore. This is odd because I been in the same size since HS. Also notice my skin felt tight when I walked around my Calf and ankle area. I wanted this progress for a few months. I went and saw a doctor and was told its a hormone change in my body and could take water pills to help me. Since I'm not a pill taker, I started test and thinking about everything that had change in my habits. In no means did I think about TEA. A google search sent me to this site and blog. Thank goodness I read all of this! So I stopped on all forms of TEA usage and within 3 days all my tight swelling went totally away! I also notice my ring finger went down a size as well! Its really amazing to think TEA is promoted "healthy" for many, but the side effects can be so strong and hard to identify properly, even for doctors. Please if you read this and are doubtful I suggest you go cold turkey for several days to see if you feel and look better. Looks like a lot of Juice and Water for me moving forward. Thank you again!
Sep 04, 2018
 Jasmine green tea made my feet swell
by: Debbie

I have swollen feet that are very painfull. I believe Jasmine tea I made is making my feet swell. I drank Jasmine Tea and water all day Wednesday through Monday and Iā€™m thinking itā€™s the tea affecting me. Wine has never affected me even if I drank more than couple glasses nightly. Guess I will stop the tea for a few days and go back to drinking red wine. Actually, Iā€™m just going to go back to coffee and water.
Sep 24, 2018
 Swollen feet, hands and throat after Oolong tea.
by: Anonymous

I started drinking Oong tea two weeks ago and immediately had swelling of the feet and hands and during the second week had swelling of hands, wrist and the throat and had to go to emergency care for a steroid shot. I couldnā€™t figure out what was happening until I realized that Oolong tea was the only different food introduced into my diet in the last two weeks. Happy I found this site.
Sep 29, 2018
 Was so worried
by: Anonymous

Thanks a million for all your comments on this site. My feet and ankles started swelling and I was sooo worried something was seriously wrong with me. I cried like baby. However, when I sat down with my husband and tried to figure out what I used differently we realized it was the green tea I started drinking. Thankfully I googled and came upon this site. Only started to use this cause I thought it would help me with weight loss. No more green tea for me.
Oct 06, 2018
 Yep, it Must Be the Tea
by: Elaine

I sometimes suffer from gout but when I do, I can usually trace it to some overindulgence, including swiss chard. Four nights ago, my hand swelled and my feet and ankles hurt terribly during the night. It wasn't like normal gout in that more than the joints ached. I questioned then whether it was caused by some old tea that I had drunk but I found nothing to suggest tea goes bad with age. After four days and physio treatments, my feet are more swollen than ever.

What is different? Well, I seldom drink tea but I have been drinking tea over the past four days. So I googled "allergies and tea" and came to this site. I do believe I have found the reason for my pain and edema. Thank you.
Feb 27, 2019
 Histamine Intolerance and Teas/Dried Herbs
by: Dina

I love this discussion! Iā€™m happy to have found it.

Iā€™ve suffered from pitting edema (swelling) in my ankles off and on and off for 2 decades. Iā€™m now 40 and itā€™s gotten to the point where Iā€™ve had to find a solution as Iā€™ve been unable to wear shoes comfortably now and Iā€™m willing to change it.

At first I thought it was gluten intolerance, and/or perhaps alcohol and caffeine intolerance. So, I eliminated all of those things for 6 months, but still the edema was there. I also noticed that tomatoes and bananas triggered swelling for me, so I eliminated those too, as well as all nightshades. But still the edema was there, albeit reduced.

Then I learned that tomatoes, bananas, and DRIED TEAS AND HERBS contain high levels of histamine! The culprit is called HISTAMINE INTOLERANCE. The symptoms of histamine intolerance sound a lot like what many of you are experiencing: edema in hands and/or feet, joint pain, achyness, including possibly itching or hives. Basically itā€™s the bodyā€™s reaction to histamine levels in food.

As herbs are stored and dried, their histamine levels multiply as they sit. I believe green tea already has a higher level of histamine to begin with. So, if you drink tea itā€™s best made from an infusion, like fresh mint or fresh ginger root. Not anything dried.

As soon as I put this together, everything began to make sense and Iā€™ve been able to maintain control of my health and the swelling, to the best of my ability. Itā€™s difficult as I have to cook 100% of my food myself, but itā€™s been so worth it.

With histamine intolerance, Iā€™ve found the "bucket" theory definitely exists. I can get away with a little histamine here and there. But when my bucket fills up, usually from eating out at a restaurant for a day or two, then my huge swollen ankles come back.

Thatā€™s what Iā€™m dealing with today. Today I only drank plain water for a beverage and the swelling was reducing. Then, I tried my usual dried ginger tea that I have when Iā€™m eating along the histamine intolerance guidelines and the swelling has obviously increased from that trigger.

So itā€™s definitely the herbal tea thatā€™s making my ankles swell! Itā€™s sad to have to drink only plain water as a beverage, but I think itā€™s really what my body wants and needs. I need to honor that and know my body is trying to detoxify itself from the histamine. (Sigh)

Please do an internet search for histamine intolerance if you have pitting edema and intolerance to green tea. Knowing about it has certainly changed my life!

I hope this helps!
Mar 24, 2019
 I think it may be a coincidence. NEW
by: Anonymous

I think it may be a coincidence, green tea is a natural diuretic and should not cause the swelling. I suffer from extreme edema (swelling in my lower legs) My doctor put me oon a water pill but I ran out one day (I am a ttruck driver) and tried green tea. It worked like a charm. Ever since, I haven't gone back on that water pill. Just keep masks amounts of green tea on hand.
Jul 02, 2019
 Green Tea and Ankle Swelling NEW
by: Anonymous

What could the reason be? Tea is a potent drug, and there is no question about it. It is hard to get at why especially since we all like the joy of tea and don't want to let go. Some studies say tea reduces cortisol, but caffeine is said to increase. Something is going on in the body that affects the circulation or the consistency of the blood or the tendency to retain water in the tissues? As some here have done, it may be necessary to stop the tea, or we can try to elminate other potential problems. I developed some new knee issues after starting tea a few months ago. Maybe it is because tea is like speed for some of us, even with just a small amount, and we tend to overdo it. Questions? Reducing our ingestion of a multitude of things and using process of elmination could help. I notice my ankles were worse today, but could it also be new multivitamin I tried? Or omega 3 supplement. Those are both new, and usually the tea alone did not produce the ankle swelling to the best of my recollection. So I will stop the pills first. Currently, I only use 2 grams of loose leaf green tea a day and get quite a boost from it.
Jul 29, 2019
 Edema NEW
by: Anonymous

I just read an article on medscape talking about tea - green and black - making post menopausal women more prone to rheumatoid arthritis by 78%. I was looking up side effects of tea drinking and found this forum. I have been an avid green tea drinker for years now but am having a problem with edema and abdomen pain. So I stopped the green tea and feel like I am getting better. Although I didnā€™t notice my feet swelling I did feel tight stiff fingers everyday and just chalked it up to too much salt. This is all wry eye opening.
Aug 02, 2019
 green tea NEW
by: Anonymous

I also enjoy green tea. I recently traveled and went out for a light breakfast. I had not had green tea in sometime. I drank the green tea at breakfast, by lunch my ankles/feet were visibly swollen, later so much so I could not wear anything other than flip flops. It took nearly a day and a half to recover. This was so unpleasant, I'm afraid to even try green tea again.
Nov 01, 2019
 Kombucha NEW
by: Anonymous

Started drinking kombucha. Because of its great probiotic effects. Almost immediately I noticed swollen feet and ankles. Kombucha is fermented green tea. Have stopped today and hopefully swelling will go away. Anyone else had a problem with kombucha?
Nov 10, 2019
 Strange NEW
by: tinker68

I was drinking a lot of green tea and had swelling in my feet and lower legs. quit the green tea and sure enough the swelling went down and has not come back. this is a surprise to me as, like many others, I thought green tea was a plus for the body. It may well still be but does cause lower leg and foot swelling in some. there has to be a reason for it that many of us know nothing about. Still very strange though, don't you think?
Nov 10, 2019
 Strange NEW
by: tinker68

I was drinking a lot of green tea and had swelling in my feet and lower legs. Quit the green tea, sure enough the swelling went down and has not come back. This is a surprise to me as, like many others, I thought green tea was a plus for the body. It may well still be but does cause lower leg and foot swelling in some. There has to be a reason for it that many of us know nothing about. Still very strange though, don't you think?
Nov 14, 2019
 Green tea and pitting edema.
by: DR Ranjansukla Ghosh

I have histamin intolerance. I can not eat lemon, banana.It gives me severe abdominal cramps.
Recently I have developed generalised edema with severe dependent edema at feet. I did all possible tests to rule it out. But in vain.
Suddenly I have realised that I am taking green tea for last 6 months.
The day I have stopped taking green tea it( edema) has vanished miraculously.I may be the possible reason.I am talking to my fellow doctors who are working with immunology for a reason.
May 25, 2020
 SWELLING (ankles, feet and toes) NEW
by: Kathleen

I was drinking Green tea for months,very strong, 2 tea bags at a time. (Green Tea and Ginger Tea) Started noticing pain in stomach (like my stomach as being squeezed and Rung out like you do cloths. I already suffered from chronic acid reflux. As I continued to drink, noticed swelling in ankles then eventually in feet. One day after working I had to go some where so I only got one cup in for that day. The next day I notice very little swelling, started thinking what did I do differently, humn. My first thought was the Green Tea so I stopped and no swelling since I stopped. I was also buying it faithfully now I have a lot of it, scared to drink more.


Jul 05, 2020
 Green tea and swelling NEW
by: Sara

I have never had swollen feet like I have in the past week. I thought it was from a bone broth I drank , but was ready to call my doctor since I have had asthma, or possible silent reflux, too. The only thing I added was green tea just over a week ago and a lot of it! I hope that was it! I will let you know in a few days.
Jul 28, 2020
 Glad I found this website! NEW
by: Anonymous

I am currently on a fairly extreme calorie-restricted diet. I was a 5'10" 230 LB mid 30's man. Now I weight 205LB. Because I'm not drinking sugar - Fake or real - I fell into drinking unsweetened tea. I have tried probably 10 different kinds and now drink a lot of black tea mixes. I have been drinking anywhere from 2-4 quarts of various teas(I know its alot). I did some brickwork while wearing some great knee pads about 2 weeks ago, and my knee has been swelling and becoming more sore as time has gone on. I VERY glad I read everyone's reports of swelling after drinking Tea.
I may have to get off of it and go back to La Croix for a while. Best wishes!
Mar 11, 2021
 No More Matcha :( NEW
by: Anonymous

I'm so glad I found this board! Same here. I stopped drinking coffee, and replaced it with matcha matcha a year ago. Soon after, ankle sweeling on one side. It took months to correlate with the tea. I stopped my walks, bought new shoes, consulted with friends and doctor. Dr said they said green tea and matcha are great for inflammation, should not be issue. I thought maybe it's the dairy I mix with it, so changed to almond, soy and oat milks. Still swell when I drink. Starbucks matcha least swelling, Dunkin matcha more swelling, and a specialty shop matcha the most swelling. After finding these posts, I'm quitting matcha altogether. If it does this to my ankles, feet, sometimes knees and wrists, what is it doing internally?
Mar 21, 2021
 Herbaly tea and swollen legs and feet.
by: Anonymous

After drinking 8 ozs of herbal tea daily, I started getting swelling in my feet and legs. Once I stopped drinking the tea the swelling dissipated. A soon as I resumed my daily dosage the swelling returned.
Apr 03, 2021
 Tea and foot pain NEW
by: Anonymous

Yes, I too experience foot pain every time I drink tea. I love tea and this week, I bought a big bottle of unsweetened oolong tea and foot pain came back again right away early morning. so can't drink it anymore ā˜¹ļø. I'm wondering what are the compounds, in tea, that are hurting us.
May 10, 2021
 Possible Explanation NEW
by: Anonymous

In Chinese medicine, the sour flavor is said to increase bodily fluids. This effect explains the swelling that so many of us experience from drinking tea (which is very sour). The sour flavor also causes tendons and ligaments to tighten, resulting (in excess) in joint problems like arthritis. Balance is key, so listen to your bodies!
May 23, 2021
 Swollen ankles, legs, and headache
by: Anonymous

All from green tea! Can someone please explain why this happens?
Jun 04, 2021
 To Anonymous March 10 Possible Explanation NEW
by: Anonymous

to the person that posted regarding Sour and Chinese medicine in March: Is there anything in Chinese medicine to reverse the effects?
Aug 03, 2021
 Oolong Tea did it NEW
by: Anonymous

I have had swollen feat for a couple of months that coincided with my regular usage of oolong tea. Then this morning my feet were normal but then after drinking the tea they started to swell and hurt. One leg was also noticeably more swollen than the other. This does not seem to happen when I drink green tea.
Aug 18, 2021
 Green tea Swollen ankles NEW
by: Mimi

I also have the same issue with green tea causing me swollen ankles. I'm not sure but I think it's the tannin in the tea that does it. (maybe an overdose of tannin...maybe start out slower. In my case, I had only 3 cups a day for 4 days.)
Aug 23, 2021
 Me too
by: Anonymous

I concur with everyone else regarding tea and swelling in my hands, knee's and feet.
I couldn't even walk it was so painful I bought everything you could imagine for foot pain. I actually wrapped my feet in cushion pads so I could walk. Every morning hand was swelling. I was drinking matcha everyday. I thought it was the almond milk and creamer because Almond milk is also causes inflammation being that it is to high in Omega 6 and it has to be balanced with Omega 3 or it will cause the same problem. Being that I was making matcha with Almond milk that was a double whammy, which is why I couldn't walk in my feet. I stopped the Almond milk but although my pain subsided it didn't go away. NowI know it is the tea as well.
Nov 20, 2021
 Green tea NEW
by: Anonymous

If the tea leaves are heavily sprayed with Glyphosate. This could cause this. Not the tea itself but the chemicals sparayed on the plants. You could try organic and look for a clean company that does testing which many do now. Hope you feel better.
Nov 23, 2021
 Stopped Green Tea Feet, Ankles, Legs normal now NEW
by: bknusa

Thank you for this blog. I thought it was something with my kidneys, or my heart, blood pressure or otherwise. Had made an appointment with the DR. and also had contacted this other medical group I belong. I saw this blog and remember I had started making my own green tea. I stopped drinking my green tea and the swelling started to go down within a day. Three days later and my feet, ankles, and legs were almost back to normal. Four to five days and my feet, ankles, and legs look like they should. My Dr's don't believe it as they have never heard of such things. Why? I can drink the Sweet tea at Mcdonald's this does not happen, I even picked up CanadaDry GingerAle with Green Tea and it does not happen. Is it because of the way I brew the tea? I usually make a lot of it. I boil the water with the tea bags. I use Organic Gren Tea from 365 Whole Foods Market. Usually 10 bags I boil the water about 1/2 gallon with the tea bags in water. And let it sit for 20 minutes. Then pour into a three Gallon container that has water in it and add Sativa as my sweetener and then add the rest water. Could it be the sweetener that is causing it?
Dec 24, 2023
 yes my legs swollen too... NEW
by: Sandy B

Hello and my legs are swollen from drinking 2 large mugs of green tea yesterday and I just took Benadryl to help the swelling ... Sad I cannot drink black tea either and I read same plant as black tea ...
Jan 16, 2024
 Me too! NEW
by: Anonymous

Me too! I totally thought that I was the only one but I think that the tea has caused my feet and legs to swell. Which is odd because green and black teas are said to stop swelling and are known diuretics. Maybe some of us react differently to it for some reason. I for one will stay away from it from now on.
Mar 28, 2024
 Not just green tea NEW
by: Coach

Took me 30 years to realize that the swelling in my fingers, ankles and feet was the result of drinking Iced tea.

The things you learn in your fifties...

Why is this the only website on the internet that has associated tea with oedema in humans?

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