Ginkgo and Tea

[dug_down_deep]

I've been told that I can't drink green tea while I'm on blood thinners, because it contains ginkgo, which counteracts the effects of the drug. My question for all you knowledgeable people is whether or not white tea contains gingko as well, and/or if there is another form of tea that I can substitute for the green stuff.

Anybody know?

[Ray Moscow]

I thought tea contained, well, tea.

The green tea I buy is 100% tea leaves. White tea is the same. (ETA: White tea is a type of green tea, made from young leaves, but since you drink it you probably know this.)

Ginko biloba is an unrelated plant.

[Brother Daniel]

^ ^ this.

There is such a thing as "ginkgo tea". Several kinds of herbal "tea" may have ginkgo as an ingredient. But green tea, in general, is just (real) tea. So is white tea. So is black tea (or red tea as the Chinese call it). No ginkgo.

[Matty]

I've been told that I can't drink green tea while I'm on blood thinners, because it contains ginkgo, which counteracts the effects of the drug. My question for all you knowledgeable people is whether or not white tea contains gingko as well, and/or if there is another form of tea that I can substitute for the green stuff.

Anybody know?

what has been said already.

The only feasible objection i could think of with green tea and medication that is if it is a medication that works via oxidative mechanisms presumably the high level of antioxidants in green tea could lessen the effect requiring you to take more.

this is not however particularly likely to be the case with a blood thinner as far as i know, ttbomk they dont work via oxidative mechanisms but block or confuse parts of the clotting protein cascade.

as for gingko, it appears to not counteract the effect of said thinners but exacerbate them (unless it competes for binding sites etc, i guess, cat find much in the way of specifics) . Its implicated in vasodilatory effects and increased blood flow by inhibiting platelet activation factors, which when you are already artificially doing so could provide a worrying, and more importantly, degree unknown effect and increase the risk of bleeding etc.

Ginkgo may have undesirable effects, especially for individuals with blood circulation disorders and those taking anticoagulants such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or warfarin, although recent studies have found that ginkgo has little or no effect on the anticoagulant properties or pharmacodynamics of warfarin

so if you are on warfarin, dont worry too much, if not then make sure you buy actual green tea not a gingko brew.
Disclaimer: IANAD, but you knew that :)

[Ray Moscow]

I seem to remember that ginko (not tea) is a blood thinner, and if so there could be some interaction with your meds that is best avoided.

[dug_down_deep]

Weird. I should just not trust doctors.

Okay, I did a little searching, and it looks like some people are saying green tea is bad for the vitamin K it might contain. But I'm already required to eat a consistent amount of green leafy vegetables for this reason, so I'm wondering why they don't say the same thing about green tea. Instead, they tell you to cut it out entirely.

[Ray Moscow]

Weird. I should just not trust doctors.

Okay, I did a little searching, and it looks like some people are saying green tea is bad for the vitamin K it might contain. But I'm already required to eat a consistent amount of green leafy vegetables for this reason, so I'm wondering why they don't say the same thing about green tea. Instead, they tell you to cut it out entirely.

Hmmm ... vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting, IIRC, but as a "catalyst". A little extra shouldn't hurt.

But if pharmocologists or doctors say to avoid it, it's probably best to follow expert opinion.

[dug_down_deep]

Yeah, I'm going to. But I would like to know if I can substitute white tea or something else. That's the main reason I want to know.

[Matty]

well in nutritive terms black tea is much less loaded than green simply becasue of the process it undergoes to become black tea (cooking basically) , red teas are intermediate, and IIRC white teas are something different altogether.

certainly the case for flavanoid content anyway.

[dug_down_deep]

Interesting. I could go with the red. Or even the black, really. I'm drinking a Lipton bottled ice tea that is pretty tasty as we speak.

[Matty]

well as a brit i should insist that everyone drink at least 4cups of tea, (strong, milk, no sugar pls, thanks) every day for their mental well being as opposed to anything.

And dont listen to the myths about caffeine content being comparable to coffee, either, its all bollocks and based on dry leaf weight as opposed to what actually ends up in the drink. Black tea has about 1/6 the caffiene of coffee in the drink becasue the vast majority of it is sequestered in the leaves themselves and not released.

A decent rooey can be alright though i still too this day prefer a decent Assam to just about anything else.

[nygreenguy]

Interesting. I could go with the red. Or even the black, really. I'm drinking a Lipton bottled ice tea that is pretty tasty as we speak.

Red tea isnt a true tea at all. Its roobios (roy-bus). Tea is all from camellia sinesis. And as someone mentioned earlier, white,green and black are all processed differently. White tea is the least processed and has the highest "good stuff" and practically no caffeine. Green tea is middle of the road and black tea has the least good stuff but the most caffeine.

[Zygote]

White tea is a form of green tea in that it is unfermented dry leaves of Camellia sinensis. White tea is made from the youngest leaves, not yet opened, and so has less caffeine, etc and a more delicate flavor. Oolongs are more fermented, but not as much as black teas. Assam is from a different plant, Camellia assamica, which grows as a tree rather than a bush.

Anything not containing Camellia sinensis or Camellia assamica is, technically speaking, an infusion and not a true tea, but almost everyone ignores this and calls any steeped beverage "tea."

[darjeeling]

well as a brit i should insist that everyone drink at least 4cups of tea, (strong, milk, no sugar pls, thanks) every day for their mental well being as opposed to anything.

With the exceptions of Thai iced tea and masala chai, tea with milk is an abomination. You people should be ashamed of yourselves.

[ofro]

well as a brit i should insist that everyone drink at least 4cups of tea, (strong, milk, no sugar pls, thanks) every day for their mental well being as opposed to anything.

Sorry Matty, but IMHO black tea is among the worst the British have inflicted on the world.

Without milk this stuff is undrinkable! :eek: The unfermented Chinese teas, flavored or not, are much more enjoyable.

But the Brits have at least partially made up for that by making ales, which I much prefer over lagers. :) :cheers:

[Matty]

y'all clearly dont know how to make a proper cuppa :)

[dug_down_deep]

I like tea talk. :)

[darjeeling]

y'all clearly dont know how to make a proper cuppa :)

You're the one who puts milk in your tea. :angry:

[Preno]

tea with milk is an abominationqft

Seriously, why don't you go all the way while you're at it and drink salty tea with yak butter?

[nygreenguy]

Me, I enjoy all teas! All of them are good in their own way. A think cup of irish tea, a nice earl grey (good sometimes with a touch of milk, a hardy southern sweet tea, a beautiful green tea, a delicate white tea (good hot and cold), a rich thai tea with milk.

I like all of them!

[ofro]

tea with milk is an abominationqft

Seriously, why don't you go all the way while you're at it and drink salty tea with yak butter?

You just turned me into a teatotaler.

[Matty]

I almost just groaned my comp off the desk :)



i'm with Nygg. I treat them all differently but like them all too (except Earl Great which tastes to me of soap)

I love green teas, esp iced. And i dont always have milk in tea. the vast majority of the time i do, specifically "builders tea" so strong that it is a brick red orange color, but I do switch it up for a bit of lemon from time to time. Esp if we have some posh tea in the house.

[darjeeling]

I love all kinds of teas, too. I just think you're crazy for putting milk in anything other than masala chai or Thai tea.

:argh:

[Matty]

heh fair enough.

[hecaterin]

well as a brit i should insist that everyone drink at least 4cups of tea, (strong, milk, no sugar pls, thanks) every day for their mental well being as opposed to anything.

With the exceptions of Thai iced tea and masala chai, tea with milk is an abomination. You people should be ashamed of yourselves.And someone with your name should know!

I spent a few days in Darjeeling a couple of years back and found it quite amusing that everyone including the waiters was so very definite about not putting milk in the darj. Chai was ubiquitous but making it with the quality darjeeling was a heresy, like mixing single malt whisky and coke.

Also, I discovered that the rumours that cheap teabags are made with the floor sweepings are in fact true.

[Notta]

^ ^ this.

There is such a thing as "ginkgo tea". Several kinds of herbal "tea" may have ginkgo as an ingredient. But green tea, in general, is just (real) tea. So is white tea. So is black tea (or red tea as the Chinese call it). No ginkgo.This is totally accurate, DDD.

Just avoid the herbal mixes. Green, black, and white teas are all plain tea leaves picked at different times in their growth phase. But it's all just tea, as long as nothing herbal has been added.

[Notta]

y'all clearly dont know how to make a proper cuppa :)

You're the one who puts milk in your tea. :angry:I bet he pours it in his saucer, too!

[Matty]

heh. my great gran used to do that.
as an impressionable and clumsy nipper, i wasnt allowed.

[Brother Daniel]

Without milk this stuff [black tea] is undrinkable!
Seriously?

I rather like black tea without anything added.

Milk in tea is yuck.

[Matty]

y'all clearly dont know how to make a proper cuppa :)

nada:

[Brother Daniel]

You're probably deluded enough to think that milk chocolate is a good idea, too.

[nygreenguy]

You're probably deluded enough to think that milk chocolate is a good idea, too.

It should be illegal to call that garbage chocolate.

[Brother Daniel]

It is, in France. Or so I've been told.

(And I agree with you.)

[Matty]

nope i'm with you on the chocolate. although european milk chocolate and NAmerican are very different animals too.

[nygreenguy]

nope i'm with you on the chocolate. although european milk chocolate and NAmerican are very different animals too.

True, its marginally better, but if its less than 60% cacao its not chocolate.

[darjeeling]

y'all clearly dont know how to make a proper cuppa :)

nada:

Why are you doing this to poor tea? What did it ever do to you? :(

You're probably deluded enough to think that milk chocolate is a good idea, too.

It should be illegal to call that garbage chocolate.

^ This. It's milk fat + a little cacao, not chocolate.

[Matty]

agreed re the chocolate, i like it so bitter it makes your gums climb up your teeth.

[miss djax]

Weird. I should just not trust doctors.

Okay, I did a little searching, and it looks like some people are saying green tea is bad for the vitamin K it might contain. But I'm already required to eat a consistent amount of green leafy vegetables for this reason, so I'm wondering why they don't say the same thing about green tea. Instead, they tell you to cut it out entirely.

are you on coumaden, perhaps? my mom is on coumaden, has been since her heart surgery. she can't have green tea, either, altho she said it was partially related to vitamin k and partially related to caffeine.

did they mention anything about lotions? she also can't use anything with co q 10, for the same reason. idebenone, which is an analog for co q10, is found in alot of spa & high end beauty products as an anti-oxidant. stay far from that too ;)

she did have a major coumaden setback from being on the generic - its problematic as opposed to the brand name version.

sorry about the derail :o

[Brianna]

I've been told that I can't drink green tea while I'm on blood thinners, because it contains ginkgo, which counteracts the effects of the drug. My question for all you knowledgeable people is whether or not white tea contains gingko as well, and/or if there is another form of tea that I can substitute for the green stuff.

Anybody know?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_tea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo

I think someone is really confused. Green tea does NOT have gingko in it unless it is added.

[Brianna]

I thought tea contained, well, tea.

The green tea I buy is 100% tea leaves. White tea is the same. (ETA: White tea is a type of green tea, made from young leaves, but since you drink it you probably know this.)

Ginko biloba is an unrelated plant.

its not younger leaves. black tea leaves are fermented the longest, then green tea leaves, then white tea leaves the shortest. Leaving Black with the most amount of the caffeine and white with the least

Black tea should be steeped 3-5 mins, green tea 5-8 mins, and white tea bout ten

[Brianna]

^ ^ this.

There is such a thing as "ginkgo tea". Several kinds of herbal "tea" may have ginkgo as an ingredient. But green tea, in general, is just (real) tea. So is white tea. So is black tea (or red tea as the Chinese call it). No ginkgo.

Red tea is from Africa and is a different plant. Rooibos.

[Brianna]

I almost just groaned my comp off the desk :)



i'm with Nygg. I treat them all differently but like them all too (except Earl Great which tastes to me of soap)

I love green teas, esp iced. And i dont always have milk in tea. the vast majority of the time i do, specifically "builders tea" so strong that it is a brick red orange color, but I do switch it up for a bit of lemon from time to time. Esp if we have some posh tea in the house.

I obviously said everything else that was already said. :D

I am a tea snob.

Earl Grey tastes like soap because of the bergamont.

Darjeeling is my favorite, with a touch of honey. (a tablespoon per cup one plus one for the pot)

P.s. I agree, milk with tea is ew.

[miss djax]

its not younger leaves. black tea leaves are fermented the longest, then green tea leaves, then white tea leaves the shortest. Leaving Black with the most amount of the caffeine and white with the least

Black tea should be steeped 3-5 mins, green tea 5-8 mins, and white tea bout ten

yowza - you must like some bitter tea!! i've never seen anyone recommend green tea be steeped for longer than 2 minutes, 3 at the absolute tops..and green tea is actually better on the 2nd or 3rd steep.

http://www.planet-tea.com/preparation.html

[Brianna]

its not younger leaves. black tea leaves are fermented the longest, then green tea leaves, then white tea leaves the shortest. Leaving Black with the most amount of the caffeine and white with the least

Black tea should be steeped 3-5 mins, green tea 5-8 mins, and white tea bout ten

yowza - you must like some bitter tea!! i've never seen anyone recommend green tea be steeped for longer than 2 minutes, 3 at the absolute tops..and green tea is actually better on the 2nd or 3rd steep.

http://www.planet-tea.com/preparation.html

I was right on the teas except for green. I dislike green tea and never drink it. /shrug

and yes I usually steep my black tea for exactly 3 minutes. I like it strong :)

[miss djax]

green's my favorite :D

its sort of like making pancakes - i always throw away the first brew..the second and third are much better than the first. i've stretched it to 4 before but that is really pushing it....

there really is a much different flavor on the additional steeps :)

have you tried any tea's with african honeybush? its a nice addition to some of the rooibos blends

[Brianna]

green's my favorite :D

its sort of like making pancakes - i always throw away the first brew..the second and third are much better than the first. i've stretched it to 4 before but that is really pushing it....

there really is a much different flavor on the additional steeps :)

have you tried any tea's with african honeybush? its a nice addition to some of the rooibos blends

Yes it does add a different flavor when steeped longer. I really don't care for it all stepped at any length. Chamomile shouldn't be steeped for more then 20 mins. It gets horribly bitter.

I have had African honeybush. Good stuff. I like Rooibos plain too. I have a jar of loose Rooibos. I have a varieties of herbal teas like chamomile. I really like Rooibos and schizandra berry. it has a tart taste to it.

[Monad]

I thought tea contained, well, tea.

The green tea I buy is 100% tea leaves. White tea is the same. (ETA: White tea is a type of green tea, made from young leaves, but since you drink it you probably know this.)

Ginko biloba is an unrelated plant.

its not younger leaves. black tea leaves are fermented the longest, then green tea leaves, then white tea leaves the shortest. Leaving Black with the most amount of the caffeine and white with the least

How does fermentation increase the caffeine content anyway? Does that mean there's not much actually in the plant but whatever does the fermenting (yeasts??) adds more or does it simply concentrate it in some way?

[dug_down_deep]

are you on coumaden, perhaps? my mom is on coumaden, has been since her heart surgery. she can't have green tea, either, altho she said it was partially related to vitamin k and partially related to caffeine.

did they mention anything about lotions? she also can't use anything with co q 10, for the same reason. idebenone, which is an analog for co q10, is found in alot of spa & high end beauty products as an anti-oxidant. stay far from that too ;)

she did have a major coumaden setback from being on the generic - its problematic as opposed to the brand name version.
Yup, that's what I'm on. This is still a mystery. :confused:

sorry about the derail :o
Heh. That's kind of what the thread was about. All these wankers disrespecting milk chocolate is the derail. :D

[dug_down_deep]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_tea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo

I think someone is really confused. Green tea does NOT have gingko in it unless it is added.
Yeah, and that someone is my doctor, apparently. That's reassuring. :eek:

[BWE]

well as a brit i should insist that everyone drink at least 4cups of tea, (strong, milk, no sugar pls, thanks) every day for their mental well being as opposed to anything.

And dont listen to the myths about caffeine content being comparable to coffee, either, its all bollocks and based on dry leaf weight as opposed to what actually ends up in the drink. Black tea has about 1/6 the caffiene of coffee in the drink becasue the vast majority of it is sequestered in the leaves themselves and not released.

A decent rooey can be alright though i still too this day prefer a decent Assam to just about anything else.

mushroom tea keeps you up better.

[Brother Daniel]

Red tea is from Africa and is a different plant. Rooibos.
Two different meanings of "red tea", depending where you are in the world.

Some people use the term "red tea" for what we call "black tea".

Or so I've been told. I'm no expert. (I may be simply wrong.)

[Brother Daniel]

wankersFighting words from a chocolate ignoramus. :angry:




:)

[Ray Moscow]

Actually, I've never heard rooibos called "red tea" until now.

I drink it when visiting South Africa. It's not bad, but it's not "tea".

[Monad]

I thought tea contained, well, tea.

The green tea I buy is 100% tea leaves. White tea is the same. (ETA: White tea is a type of green tea, made from young leaves, but since you drink it you probably know this.)

Ginko biloba is an unrelated plant.

its not younger leaves. black tea leaves are fermented the longest, then green tea leaves, then white tea leaves the shortest. Leaving Black with the most amount of the caffeine and white with the least

How does fermentation increase the caffeine content anyway? Does that mean there's not much actually in the plant but whatever does the fermenting (yeasts??) adds more or does it simply concentrate it in some way?

Ah, it appears "fermentation" is a misnomer - there is no actual fermentation involved but rather a process that encourages oxidation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_tea

[Ray Moscow]

Yeah, I'm learning a lot about tea in this thread -- which is just as well since I drink a lot of it.

[Matty]

mushroom tea keeps you up better.
Good call. And i doint think its contraindicated with anticoagulants. Sounds like a plan Dug, should make your life very interesting to boot. :)

I think i have got to the bottom of our tea disagreement, and FWIW i'm right :)
20 fucking minutes brewing for tea = WTF, you just killed it. 10 minutes brewing = WTF you just put it in ICU. Five maybe, thats still strong.

Like i said, y'all have no idea how to make a proper cuppa. Thats called stewing it and is grounds for throwing it away and making a new pot in every brit family that i know of. I had a cup of Timmies steeped tea once, well a swig from a cup actually, and binned it becasue of that stewing. I thought that was just a fuckup, but you a guys actually brew it like that on purpose?

Gak,gak blehh. Amateurs.

Here FFS do yourselves a favour. The BBC's "how to make a proper cuppa guide. Y'all DO need it.

Ingredients
1 tsp tea leaves per person
milk (optional)
sugar (optional)

Method

1. Empty the kettle of any previously boiled water and fill with fresh (preferably filtered) water. Bring the kettle to the boil.
2. Warm a clean teapot with a little of the water just before it reaches boiling point, then swirl around and pour away.
3. Use tea leaves rather than bags for a fresh flavoured tea the type you use is up to you. Allow 1 teaspoon per person, plus one for the pot. Make sure the pot you're using has plenty of space for the tea to brew in the water.
4. Pour in the water as soon as it boils, taking the pot to the kettle so the water doesn't have a chance to cool down.
5. Cover the pot with a tea cosy (either one your Granny knitted or one of the cool, funky ones available now) and leave the tea to infuse for 3-4 minutes. Any longer and you'll ruin the true flavour of the tea, making it taste bitter.
6. When you're ready, pour the tea through a tea strainer (unless there's a mesh attached to your teapot) into sparkling clean mugs or cups and saucers.
7. When you add the milk depends on whether you're a MIF (milk-in-first) or TIF (tea-in-first) person, or maybe you prefer it black, with sugar, a slice of lemon or a sprig of mint.
8. Sit back and enjoy


and if you are going to cheat and use tea bags DONT buy cheapo ones. that shitty orange pekoe that you get at hte supermarket is tea in name only. If it leaves a dusty scum on the top of the cuppa then you need to rethink your shopping. Those PG tips pyramid bags make a nice bog standard cup but a nice assam or the Prince of Wales Breakfast tea are far nicer.


Prince of Wales breakfast tea is a very good one in fact. The big eared twat got one thing right.

[Preno]

5. Cover the pot with a tea cosy (either one your Granny knitted or one of the cool, funky ones available now) and leave the tea to infuse for 3-4 minutes. Any longer and you'll ruin the true flavour of the tea, making it taste bitter.I like my tea bitter. :dunno:

[Ray Moscow]

Yeah, I like tea stronger than most Brits will tolerate. We always water it down when we have company.

[Matty]

Bitter=Yum. Stewed =not, IMO.
its all about balancing the tannin levels with the flavour.

I drink mine strong, but i'd rather use more tea and brew for less than stew the fuck out of a smaller amount.
try it.

[miss djax]

are you on coumaden, perhaps? my mom is on coumaden, has been since her heart surgery. she can't have green tea, either, altho she said it was partially related to vitamin k and partially related to caffeine.

did they mention anything about lotions? she also can't use anything with co q 10, for the same reason. idebenone, which is an analog for co q10, is found in alot of spa & high end beauty products as an anti-oxidant. stay far from that too ;)

she did have a major coumaden setback from being on the generic - its problematic as opposed to the brand name version.
Yup, that's what I'm on. This is still a mystery. :confused:

sorry about the derail :o
Heh. That's kind of what the thread was about. All these wankers disrespecting milk chocolate is the derail. :D

dreaded choco-derailers ;)

i know it took my mom about a year to work out her coumaden levels (partially related to the aforementioned problem with being on generic first, which was a huge mistake). after that, she felt alot better..still bruises like crazy tho...

do you go to a coumaden clinic?

[miss djax]

when i need to get my brit-tea fix on its all about pg tips.

in general i love me some jasmine pearl teas. i love the grassy finish....

based on travels, our whole family is crazy from 5 roses, from south africa. not a rooibos.

i love some of the herbal mixes just for fun.

and if you brew loose leaf tea, this thing is genius :

http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Gift-Center/Gifts-by-Price/Tea-Gifts-under-20/Teavana-Perfect-Tea-Maker-16oz.axd

am i the only one who does multiple steeps on green teas? seriously try it out, its fantastic. i promise you'll be throwing out the first steep from here on out ;)

and of course, the leaves go into my flower beds when done. insta-compost ;)

[ofro]

Apropos milk in tea: That reminds me of Asterix in Britain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RvF-gv7xWQ) (Astérix chez les Bretons).
I loved the phrase "une tasse d'eau chaude avec un nuage de lait." (that was before the introduction of tea leaves, for you Asterix agnostix)

(I hope that some folks here are old enough to remember Asterix)

[Matty]

heh. i was reading my wife old omnibus collection just recently.
Forgot how funny they are.

I love how a cup of tea became the Brits "magic potion". So true, the British empire was built on having a cup of tea in fucked up places. We ever send brits to the moon the first thing they will do on landing is "stick the kettle on", i guarantee it :)

[darjeeling]

Ingredients
1 tsp tea leaves per person
milk (WRONG AND IMMORAL AND HORRIBLE, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU :angry:)
sugar (optional)


fify :)

[Matty]

lol, that just tickled me.

see now SUGAR in tea is fucking wrong.

[dug_down_deep]

dreaded choco-derailers ;)

i know it took my mom about a year to work out her coumaden levels (partially related to the aforementioned problem with being on generic first, which was a huge mistake). after that, she felt alot better..still bruises like crazy tho...

do you go to a coumaden clinic?
I'm just getting started, and not sure if I'll be on the stuff forever or not. Right now it's just a matter of 2 blood tests each week, with the doctor telling me what dosage to take based on the results. They just phoned me 5 minutes ago, actually - I'm swinging like a pendulum do, apparently.

[ofro]

I hope that they also told you not to eat grapefruit when you are on coumadin. I can interfere with its degradation, and all of a sudden your levels go too high!

Gotta run; I can give more details if you like.

[dug_down_deep]

wankersFighting words from a chocolate ignoramus. :angry:




:)
So you look at something like this, and your reaction is eww yuck?

http://www.sanderscandy.com/images/23570MilkChocolateCherryCordials.jpg

And you're suggesting I'm the one with the problem? How dare you, sir. How dare you.

/chocolate meltdown

[dug_down_deep]

I hope that they also told you not to eat grapefruit when you are on coumadin. I can interfere with its degradation, and all of a sudden your levels go too high!

Gotta run; I can give more details if you like.
Yeah, they did. But I filed that in the brain under stuff I don't need to remember, since I don't like grapefruit.

[Brianna]

mushroom tea keeps you up better.
Good call. And i doint think its contraindicated with anticoagulants. Sounds like a plan Dug, should make your life very interesting to boot. :)

I think i have got to the bottom of our tea disagreement, and FWIW i'm right :)
20 fucking minutes brewing for tea = WTF, you just killed it. 10 minutes brewing = WTF you just put it in ICU. Five maybe, thats still strong.



You don't read too close. I said I stepped my black tea exactly 3 mins.

Herbal teas are 20 mins. :)

[Brianna]

lol, that just tickled me.

see now SUGAR in tea is fucking wrong.

Honey or nothing!

[darjeeling]

lol, that just tickled me.

see now SUGAR in tea is fucking wrong.

lol, sugar is less wrong than milk, though.

I don't put sugar in my tea (again, unless it's masala chai or something). Now, honey can be good sometimes. Ever try lavender honey?

[Brianna]

lol, that just tickled me.

see now SUGAR in tea is fucking wrong.

lol, sugar is less wrong than milk, though.

I don't put sugar in my tea (again, unless it's masala chai or something). Now, honey can be good sometimes. Ever try lavender honey?

I prefer clover honey but yes I like lavender honey. :) Raw honey is the best!

[miss djax]

dreaded choco-derailers ;)

i know it took my mom about a year to work out her coumaden levels (partially related to the aforementioned problem with being on generic first, which was a huge mistake). after that, she felt alot better..still bruises like crazy tho...

do you go to a coumaden clinic?
I'm just getting started, and not sure if I'll be on the stuff forever or not. Right now it's just a matter of 2 blood tests each week, with the doctor telling me what dosage to take based on the results. They just phoned me 5 minutes ago, actually - I'm swinging like a pendulum do, apparently.

hopefully it'll be short term, the meds i mean. did they tell you to watch your weight? changes plus or minus more than about 3 lbs can do a number on your levels...

i'll be sending you good thoughts :) i'd be happy to pass along any questions if you like.

[dug_down_deep]

You could ask her that thing about the green tea... ;)

[Brianna]

You could ask her that thing about the green tea... ;)

From my two pharmacy classes back in the day, this treatment with rat poison is nearly impossible. I'd rather try to figure out a diabetic diet, which almost takes a doctorate in Food to figure out. There is a very long list of things you should not eat with both of these disorders.

I do not envy you.

[Berthold]

I think someone is really confused. Green tea does NOT have gingko in it unless it is added.
Yeah, and that someone is my doctor, apparently. That's reassuring. :eek:
He's your doctor; not your culinary botanist. :)

[dug_down_deep]

I suppose. I'll still go to him, but I can't pretend I'm still as confident in his perspicacity or attention to detail before speaking/acting. He's also a proud Christian, which always concerns me a bit.

[dug_down_deep]

I went from an INR of 1.3 to 5 to 1.5. This should be fun. :p

[dug_down_deep]

Also, I hate that I now know some specialized medical acronym.

[Brianna]

I suppose. I'll still go to him, but I can't pretend I'm still as confident in his perspicacity or attention to detail before speaking/acting. He's also a proud Christian, which always concerns me a bit.

Yeah, that does me too. Unless they talk about it though, I don't worry about it. :dunno:

[Brother Daniel]

So you look at something like this, and your reaction is eww yuck?
Beyond yuck. Those goopy candied cherries are horrible.

Hmmm. Oh. You were asking about the chocolate. I forgot....

[A Dead Relative]

I had plain green tea one time, and it was disgusting. I love green tea, with some kind of sweetener, though, and honey does seem to be a better sweetener. The only red tea I have had, was in cappuccino I had, from a convenience store, so I really don't know what it tastes like.

Usually, I just drink black tea, and I have found that "Sugar in the Raw" is the best, if you like sugar in your tea, but you need a lot, just to sweeten it.

By the way, I don't drink soda pop, so it's usually tea or some kind of sports drink.

[Norrin Radd]

Lipton "Mixed Berry" green tea is nice, and the aroma is just great.