Can Drinking Tea Help Ease Diverticulitis?

If you have diverticulitis, a potentially painful type of inflammation or infection within the intestines, you know that what you eat and drink can have an impact on how you manage your condition.

Can tea help your body heal? Not necessarily, but it won’t worsen your condition either.

Understanding diverticulitis begins with understanding its precursor, a condition called diverticulosis. Diverticulosis occurs when small, bulging pouches form in the lining of the digestive tract, according to Mayo Clinic. These pouches commonly occur after age 50 and rarely cause any problems.

Diverticulitis occurs when these bulging pouches become inflamed or infected, resulting in abdominal pain (especially in the left lower abdomen), nausea, fever, or diarrhea. Treatment can be managed at home in mild cases with rest, diet changes, and antibiotics. More severe cases may require surgery.

Several risk factors are linked to diverticulitis, according to Mayo Clinic, such as age, obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, and taking certain medications like steroids, opioids, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

A diet low in fiber and high in animal fat could also increase one’s risk of developing diverticulitis, as might a diet high in processed foods, according to a review published in Gastroenterology. Experts have yet to pinpoint a definitive cause of diverticulitis.

If you’re looking to recover from diverticulitis and prevent recurrences, can you enjoy a cozy cup of tea?

There’s minimal research on this topic, but one study from May 2019 in Scientific Reports followed a group of Japanese adults diagnosed with diverticulitis who were given 1.5 grams of burdock tea (an herbal tea made from the burdock root) three times a day for several months. This herbal tea helped prevent recurrence of acute diverticulitis.

Further research is needed to determine just how beneficial burdock tea or tea in general may be for this condition.

Regardless of whether you’re recovering from diverticulitis, tea tends to be a healthy choice when it comes to beverages. It’s full of antioxidants called polyphenols, which help neutralize substances in your body that can become harmful in larger numbers, according to Cleveland Clinic.

If you’re recovering from mild diverticulitis, having a cup of tea won’t cause harm, says Emily Haller, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Michigan Medicine’s Crohn’s and Colitis Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan. So drink up, but take a look at the label before you do, avoiding sweetened teas that are high in sugar and calories.

Diverticulitis treatment may depend on the severity of the inflammation or infection. However, in many cases, treatment starts with pushing the pause button on eating or drinking to give the bowels a rest, says Haller.

In hospital settings, Haller says that people with diverticulitis are often put on an NPO diet (“nothing by mouth,” from the Latin nil per os) while the treatment with antibiotics begins. After a couple of days, they start a clear diet, which includes water and teas. Once they’re able to tolerate these liquids well, they can resume their normal diet.

Teas may be a helpful source of antimicrobial and antioxidant agents when only liquids are tolerated, says Haller. You can fill your mug with your favorite type, too, because different kinds of teas — black, green, herbal, or ginger — have similar effects on diverticulitis recovery.

There aren’t any specific foods that Haller tells people with diverticulitis to give up or avoid once they’ve recovered.

Instead, she encourages them to prevent constipation by eating a high-fiber diet and to stay healthy through regular exercise and balanced nutrition. Pushing hard-to-pass stools, as you might when constipated, can increase pressure in the intestines, according to UCHealth, which may lead to another bout of diverticulitis.

What does a high-fiber diet look like? Reach for more vegetables, whole fruits, beans, nuts, and whole grains, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.