Category: Hot drinks

“Is Kombucha contrary to the Word of Wisdom? It is made from brewed green or black tea that has been fermented through several stages, for up to 6 weeks prior to drinking. It’s non-alcoholic and the bacteria found in the beverage help to restore normal levels of healthy bacteria in your gut. A healthy drink, but still made from tea. If used for medicinal purposes, is it still considered sinful?” (Ranie)

Thanks for the question, ranie. All I know is that tea (including green and black) is against the Word of Wisdom. Nothing has been said regarding whether it being fermented has any bearing on it inclusion in the Word of Wisdom.

I think it is important to point out that D&C 89 does not specifically state we should avoid tea because it is not healthy for us. What it does say is that “hot drinks are not for the body or belly”. Therefore, the argument that it’s okay to drink tea because it is healthy is a fallacy. We avoid tea simply because God has asked us to. Nothing more, nothing less.

“What is it about the Camellia sinensis or tea plant that makes tea that comes from that plant against the Word of Wisdom? What is it about the coffee that makes it against the Word of Wisdom? On my mission, we told people it produced tars and other things that were bad for your body. Do you have any additional or better information that you can offer me? If you do, I would love to know, so I can be able to give a better answer when asked.” (Jeremy)

Thanks for writing, Jeremy.

The only thing about the Camellia sinensis plant that makes tea that comes from it against the word of wisdom, is the fact that it is tea and we have been told not to drink it. No reason was given in D&C 89.

Same goes for coffee. All we know is that the Lord told us to not drink it. No reason was given in D&C 89.

I can’t say I have ever heard that either produced tar. Even so, the Lord has never revealed tar-making properties is the cause for his asking us to avoid them.

All we know for certain is that the Lord told us we should avoid them. He has yet to reveal why.

Kim

“Do you have a citation that states that Camellia sinensis is the reason  tea is against the Word of Wisdom? I’m a bit sorry to admit that I used to drink tea—both black and herbal—before joining the Church of Jesus Christ, but have never done so since my baptism because it was—and is—my understanding that tea means tea, period.” (Jeff)

Thanks for writing, Jeff.

Camellia sinensis is tea.

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

Herbal tea is fine because it is not made from the tea plant, or is not steeped using parts of Camellia sinensis plant. In other words, it’s not tea.

“What about Thai Iced Tea? This beverage uses Thai Red Tea leaves, but I am not sure if it is related to Camellia sinensis. I have heard of Red Tea called Roibos from an unrelated plant, but I am not sure if this is what is used in a Thai Iced Tea.” (Todd)

Hey Todd,

According to Wikipedia, Thai Tea is made from black tea.

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

“Have you ever heard of an “Herbal” green tea?  There is a restaurant where I live (Utah) that makes “Bubble Tea” smoothies.  Owned and operated by a “returned missionary” who claims that they use an “herbal”, non-caffeinated, green tea that is not against the word of wisdom.  What do you think?” (Tara)

Hi Tara,

As long as the tea is not made from the Camellia sinensis plant, it is a herbal tea. Remember, decaffeinated doesn’t automatically mean in-line with the Word of Wisdom.

“Tea in Joseph Smith’s day was black tea. Now that the Church is world-wide in scope and the Word of Wisdom is an eternal principle of ‘obedience’, I would assume each culture would literally have its ‘tea’ or ‘Temple Recommend’ worthy point. As I learned this morning, in Japan it is clearly understood to be green tea, oolong, chai and coffee. If you have any more understanding on the South American Saints and their ‘Yerba’, it would be helpful in my research.” (Brenda)

Thanks for writing, Brenda.

Actually, tea in Joseph Smith’s time is exactly what tea is in our time, drinks made from the Camellia sinensis plant. Tea is not defined by the LDS Church; its definition has been around for hundreds of years. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea

The Word of Wisdom is not an eternal principle. It was never practiced in the Book of Mormon or the Bible peoples, and when it was issued in 1833, it was not issued as a commandment.

Considering that yerba maté is not alcoholic and does not come from tobacco, coffee, or the tea plant, I do not see why it would be considered in violation of the Word of Wisdom, or any strict interpretation of it. Based on my understanding of the drink, I do not see how it would be any different than peppermint or chamomile tea.

I hope this addresses your questions.

“I’ve been offered a job at a MLM company that makes vitamin supplement-type drinks especially for people in Japan.  My concern was that I noticed that in one of the products, they have coffee extracts and green tea extract.  Do you know if the extracts are bad like normal tea and coffee?” (Richard)

The only statement I have seen is that hot drinks refers to tea and coffee. I have not read anywhere whether they have to be in drink form or not.

“You mentioned that tea might only be in drink form, that we need to avoid the tea plant. If one takes green tea in pill form they are not only getting the exact same thing into the body but also the caffeine, which is ‘addictive’.” (Lindsay)

As I said before, the Lord has not revealed that any one substance in teas is the reason for the prohibition.

One interpretation of “hot drinks” is that “drinks” is literal and refers only to those substances when one drinks them. That may be an incorrect interpretation, but it is one possible interpretation.

“It is to my understanding from other answered questions on your site, that green tea is a form of tea unacceptable to the word of wisdom. Even though it is from the common tea plant, it is not fermented, or blackened. Would this make a difference?” (Christina)

I am not aware of any statement that specifies whether the type of processing used in making tea affects whether it is against the Word of Wisdom. The only statements I have seen say “hot drinks” refer simply to coffee and tree. I assume by this that it is an all-encompassing definition.