Tea-lovers have been left shocked after learning it is possible to become ‘intoxicated’ by drinking cups of Earl Grey – but it doesn’t sound pleasant, and you’d have to neck a lot!
Tea is quintessentially British, and it’s enjoyed each year by the bucketload.
In fact, it’s so thoroughly enjoyed that Brits guzzle down a whopping 100million cups of the stuff a day, according to the UK Tea and Infusions Association. And if the standard English breakfast isn’t your thing, there’s no need to panic as there are an estimated 1,500 types of tea.
Earl Grey is a tea often enjoyed as part of an afternoon spread. It’s thought that a Chinese mandarin tea master blended the first Earl Grey tea as a gift for Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl of Grey and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834, according to Teatulia. But did you know it could make you ‘intoxicated?’.
The X (formerly Twitter) account for BBC show QI recently shared: “Drinking over 16 cups (4 litres) of Earl Grey tea a day leads to muscle cramps and blurred vision. It’s known as ‘Earl Grey Intoxication’.”
According to WebMD, this intoxication “likely stems from the bergamot in Earl Grey tea, which can interfere with potassium channels and cause your cells to overreact to stimulus, leading to muscle spasms and cramps”.
The tea also contains a “substantial amount of caffeine”, which can heighten anxiety, cause “lack of sleep”, and is “a common exacerbator of depression”.
One man joked in the X thread that this would “only happen in the UK”, with someone else joking: “Well, thank God I only drink 15 cups.”
Another tea-lover penned: “I can do half that on a hot / hangover day, but 16 cups is crazy.” Another handily pointed out: “A good reminder that the literal meaning of ‘intoxication’ is not ‘drunk’ but rather ‘toxins have gotten inside you’.”
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