Matcha tea

Nuthatch

Hello

I am totally new to this forum (or any forum for that matter!) but have had RA for many years. I wondered if anyone had been told that Matcha tea would help with inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis. I know there's always someone with a suggestion for a miracle cure which would have been prescribed a long time ago if that was the case, but it would be good to hear if anyone has any experience of using Matcha. Or could it even do more harm if already on various anti-inflammatory drugs, ie Mtx, Adalimumab, NSAIDS, etc.

Thank you in anticipation.

PeterJ

Hello @Nuthatch and welcome to the community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I do hope that you find that to be your experience as well.

I understand that you have had rheumatoid arthritis for a number of years. As regards Matcha Tea as you rightly say if it was a miracle cure then it would be prescribed. Having said that, as with all these things, people sometimes get benefit and others don't. If in any doubt about conflict with prescribed drugs I would consult your GP.

You don't say how RA affects your body - our website has a lot of useful information and I would encourage you to have a look at it and use the search as well. To get you started I've added a couple of links that might help.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/complementary-and-alternative-treatments/types-of-complementary-treatments/herbal-medicine/

Please do keep posting and let us know how you get on and I hope that others will connect with you and share their experiences as well

With very best wishes

Peter (moderator)

Nuthatch

Thank you for your reply Peter and for the links. I will keep a look out too for anyone replying with their own experiences of drinking Matcha. I am a natural sceptic but if there is a hint that it may help just a little bit it would be worth a go. My RA has affected my thumb joints, wrists and feet mainly, with a few joints fused along the way.

Thanks again. 😊

Lilymary

Hi Nuthatch, and welcome to this lovely forum.

If you are already on anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed by your GP/rheumatologist, herbal supplements are unlikely to make any noticeable difference and may have unintended reactions with your existing medications. You should check with your GP before taking them, but if you feel your medications are so ineffective as to make you want to look for a top up, then maybe a drug review with your doctor would be a better way to go.

There are other weapons available in your battle with pain, so you may find this link helpful.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/managing-your-pain/

Many people find distraction and keeping active is a good way to go, it certainly helps me.

Nuthatch

Thank you Lilymary, I really appreciate your reply too. I don't normally succumb to suggestions from people with no experience of RA and I think the idea of Matcha tea caught me at a weak moment, plus was recommended to listen to a podcast! As others with this disease, we are never pain free, so live with a certain level of constant pain. I was just hoping there might be a way to reduce that base level, but think I was probably being unrealistic to think a herbal drink would help!

I really appreciate you both replying so quickly to my post. I will read others with interest and see what tips I can pick up along the way.

Thank you again and goodnight!

Lilymary

I suspect some of these natural remedies are helpful to people in the early stages of their arthritis journey, or for people with intermittent issues, but once it’s really taken hold it’s time to get the big guns out.