I've been making green tea by the gallon, keeping it my fridge and drinking it like I would drink water. Now, can it be harmful to drink 45+ oz. of green tea in a day? Can one OD on green tea? Are the benefits of green tea diminished if it's not drunk hot?

Also, if I'm not drinking my 8 glasses of water a day but I'm drinking more than enough green tea, does that count as my water intake?

Thanks so much....

All green, Maegan :p

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Drinking any fluids (other than alcohol and caffienated) is the same as drinking water. However, green tea can cause the thyroid to slow down. Remember even benefical nutrients can be taken in excess.

Okay... I drink caffeinated because I've heard that the caffeine speeds up your metabolism. How much tea is recommended, then? I'd hate to find out later in my life that my thyroid's shot because I've been drinking too much of this nasty tea that I thought was good for me! :confused:

Thanks :)



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Hey! I kinda have the same question. I drink immense amounts of tea.. not just green tea, but all kinds. Throughout the day I'll drink about 2 cups of green tea, a couple cups of echinechea tea, dandilion root tea, 3 cups of chamomile tea w/ valerian supplements to calm me down at night and then some others... oh i drink lots of normal water too. My dad thinks that too much (especially chamomile and valerian) could be bad for me, is that true at all?

green tea is healthy because of antioxidants and stuff and i don't think it can make any harm for you, but as it's caffeinated it dehydrates you which means it doesn't count to your fluid intake. but as long as you drink enough water or herbal tea as well it definitely is not bad for you.

I haven't really heard of anybody overdosing on green tea. The caffeine content of green tea is, I think, about 1/3 of that of regular Black Tea. So, 48 oz of green tea is probably equal to about 16 oz. of regular iced tea. That's assuming that you are brewing it yourself.

Now, caffeine doesn't really speed up your metabolism, it might for a while, but it also can cause a "crash" which, after the speed up, causes a slow down. Most diet drugs put caffiene in their pills because it, supposedly, is an appetite suppressant. But, inmy experience, it suppresses appetite during the speed up phase and then stimulates appetite wen it starts to wear off.

Oh, and for the other poster who is drinking the valerian tea to calm down. Too much valerian tea can be bad for you. I'm thinking that you might not need to "calm down" so much if you didn't drink so much regular tea to begin with.

drinking too much tea can cause urinary tract infections,(don't ask me how, I don't know)I use to get that, but slacked off drinking it, I drink more water and juice now.

Green tea has a lot of things going for it, so enjoying a few cups each day is probably OK for the majority of folks.

Tea (black, green, orange pekoe) is naturally high in oxalates. In people prone to form kidney stones, a very high oxalate diet can promote the formation of stones. So, folks prone to kidney stones may not want to overdo tea.

Regular tea (doesn't apply to most herbals) is naturally high in fluoride. The tea plant pulls fluoride from the soil & concentrates it in the leaves. The fluoride in tea is what affects thyroid. In days past, we could drink tea freely without incident, as the body can deal with a certain amt of fluoride. Today, however, we are bombarded w/fluoride & fluoro-compounds in our air, water & food to the extent that the excess becomes toxic, and fluoride does have a natural affinity for the thyroid gland. Not too many yrs. ago doctors used fluoride to treat thyrotoxicosis -- when the thyroid became severely overactive, fluoride was used to shut it down. Today different drugs are used.

For myself, I have fibromyalgia & have found that fluoride triggers severe flares of pain & muscle weakness. Not too many like me with fibro, but I've encountered a few. A cup of green or black tea will put me into several days of agony.

But for those in good health, I say enjoy your tea. Consider moderation, but enjoy.