Reply To: Chinese Medicine Dietary Therapy
Hi Cody!
It would absolutely depend if they’re in excess or deficiency. In excess fire, you would want to minimize or avoid coffee as it is too stimulating.
Coffee is both bitter and pungent, and there is decaf coffee, which is less stimulating. In TCM, it is recommended to just reduce or minimize unless the condition is serious. Sometimes one cup of coffee/day for a very damp person can be super helpful to help clear damp and energize them to get moving (if the coffee isn’t full of damp items like cream/sugar). Also, just because it has a bitter quality doesn’t mean that it is best for some fire types – there are other bitter choices that are superior to coffee. It really is case-by-case in regards to what you recommend and minimize.
I hope this makes sense!
Riley