Is Thai Tea Good for Being Sick? A Comprehensive Guide

November 22, 2025 •

4 min read

According to a 2024 study, black tea, a primary ingredient in Thai tea, is rich in antioxidants that can help you maintain a healthy immune system. While this may suggest Thai tea is good for being sick, its other components, like high sugar and caffeine, require a closer look to determine its true suitability for recovery.

Quick Summary

This guide analyzes whether Thai tea is beneficial during illness by evaluating its main ingredients, such as black tea and traditional spices, against potentially harmful additives like excessive sugar and caffeine. It examines both the potential benefits and drawbacks, offering healthier alternatives for a sore throat or cold.

Key Points

Antioxidant Benefits: Black tea and spices like star anise in Thai tea offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can support the immune system.
High Sugar Content: The excessive added sugar in traditional Thai tea can suppress immune function and increase inflammation, potentially prolonging illness.
Moderate Caffeine: Thai tea's caffeine can disrupt crucial sleep needed for recovery and lead to dehydration, which is counterproductive when sick.
Dairy Considerations: While not scientifically proven to increase mucus for everyone, the creamy milk can make mucus feel thicker and is best avoided by those with dairy sensitivity or lactose intolerance.
Healthier Alternatives: Soothing, low-sugar drinks like ginger tea, warm lemon and honey, or herbal teas offer the comforting warmth of tea without the negative side effects.
Ingredient Awareness: For effective relief, it is essential to be mindful of all ingredients in a drink when sick, prioritizing those that promote rest, hydration, and immune support.
Moderation is Key: Enjoying Thai tea should be in moderation when healthy, but for recovery from sickness, alternatives are a much more effective choice.

Evaluating Thai Tea's Ingredients When You're Sick

When you're feeling unwell, a comforting, warm beverage can feel like a great idea. Thai tea, with its unique blend of spiced black tea and creamy sweetness, is a tempting option, but is Thai tea good for being sick? A closer look at its core ingredients reveals both potentially helpful components and some less-than-ideal aspects for someone fighting a cold or flu.

The Health Benefits of Black Tea and Spices

Thai tea is brewed from a strong base of black tea, often spiced with ingredients like star anise and sometimes tamarind or cardamom. These natural elements offer some beneficial properties.

Antioxidants from Black Tea: The black tea in Thai tea contains powerful antioxidants called polyphenols. These compounds can help combat inflammation and fight free radicals in the body, which can be beneficial when your immune system is working overtime to fight an infection.
Antimicrobial Effects of Spices: Spices like star anise have been studied for their antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. Star anise is a major source of shikimic acid, an ingredient used to make the antiviral drug Tamiflu, suggesting it may have some effect against influenza viruses. Other spices like cardamom also possess beneficial properties.
Support for Digestion: The tannins in black tea and spices like star anise may also have a positive effect on your digestive system, which can sometimes be upset during illness.

The Downside: High Sugar, Caffeine, and Dairy

While the core components of black tea and spices offer some potential benefits, the traditional preparation of Thai tea includes high levels of sugar, caffeine, and dairy, which can be counterproductive to your recovery.

Excessive Sugar: A traditional serving of Thai tea can contain a significant amount of added sugar, often from sweetened condensed milk. Consuming too much sugar can suppress the immune system and increase inflammation, potentially prolonging your illness.
Moderate to High Caffeine Content: Thai tea, being made from black tea, contains a moderate amount of caffeine, typically ranging from 20-60mg per serving depending on the brew. While a small boost might be welcome, too much caffeine can disrupt sleep patterns, which is crucial for a speedy recovery. It can also be dehydrating, whereas staying well-hydrated is essential when sick.
Dairy Concerns: Thai tea is famously creamy due to the addition of sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk. While the myth that dairy increases mucus has been largely debunked by scientific studies, some individuals with dairy sensitivity or lactose intolerance may find that it thickens mucus, creating an unpleasant sensation in the throat.

Healthier Alternatives to Thai Tea

If you are seeking a soothing, warm drink to help with sickness, there are many better alternatives that provide similar benefits without the drawbacks.

A Comparison: Thai Tea vs. Healthier Alternatives


Feature	Traditional Thai Tea	Ginger Tea	Lemon & Honey Tea
Soothes Sore Throat	Can be soothing due to warmth, but sugar and dairy may irritate it.	Excellent due to anti-inflammatory properties.	Soothes and has antibacterial properties.
Immune Support	Contains antioxidants from black tea.	Boosts immunity with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.	Boosts immune system with Vitamin C.
Congestion Relief	Steam from a hot version might help slightly.	Excellent, as ginger acts as a decongestant.	Helps thin mucus.
Caffeine Level	Moderate (20-60mg).	None (if pure ginger).	None (if pure lemon/honey).
Sugar Content	Very high from condensed milk.	None (unless added).	Natural sugar from honey.
Dairy	Often contains condensed/evaporated milk.	None.	None.

Other Soothing Options

Herbal Teas: Herbal varieties like chamomile, peppermint, or licorice root tea can be incredibly soothing for a sore throat and can help with congestion.
Broth or Soup: Chicken soup or a simple clear broth is a classic remedy for a reason. It provides hydration, electrolytes, and nutrients that are important for recovery.
Warm Water with Lemon and Honey: A simple but effective mixture, the honey has antibacterial properties and can coat and soothe an irritated throat, while the lemon provides Vitamin C and can help thin mucus.

Conclusion: Consider the Trade-Offs

While Thai tea contains some beneficial components from black tea and spices like star anise, its high sugar content and moderate caffeine level make it a less-than-ideal choice when you are sick. The high sugar can hinder your immune system, and the caffeine could interfere with essential rest and hydration. For a truly restorative drink, opting for a low-sugar, low-caffeine alternative like herbal tea, ginger tea, or a warm honey and lemon beverage is a much better choice. Ultimately, while Thai tea isn't necessarily 'bad' for you when sick, its delicious taste doesn't outweigh the potential drawbacks for a speedy recovery. For more information on the antiviral properties of star anise, you can visit resources like Healthline's article on the benefits of star anise.

Frequently Asked Questions

While the warmth may provide temporary relief, the high sugar content and potential for mucus-thickening dairy in Thai tea may actually irritate a sore throat. Healthier, more soothing options like ginger tea with honey are better alternatives.

Some spices in Thai tea, like star anise, contain compounds with antiviral properties that can fight influenza viruses. However, the high sugar and caffeine outweigh these benefits, making it a poor choice for overall recovery.

Herbal teas like chamomile, peppermint, or ginger tea are often recommended when you are sick. They offer soothing properties for sore throats, help with congestion, and contain beneficial anti-inflammatory compounds.

While it's a persistent myth, milk in Thai tea does not increase mucus production for most people. However, it may thicken existing mucus for some, especially those with lactose intolerance, which can be an unpleasant sensation. Other congestion-fighting drinks like ginger tea are more effective.

Yes, the caffeine in Thai tea can be problematic when sick. It can interfere with your sleep, which is critical for immune function and recovery, and it can also cause dehydration.

Yes, spices like star anise are rich in antioxidants and have antimicrobial properties, with star anise being a key source of shikimic acid, a compound used in antiviral medication. However, the medicinal properties are often outweighed by the other ingredients in a full Thai tea beverage.

For a soothing dairy-free drink, consider warm ginger tea with a touch of honey or a simple herbal tea. If you're craving a similar spice profile, you can create a spiced herbal tea using star anise and cinnamon with a plant-based milk alternative, but omit the high sugar content.