Has someone on TikTok suggested adopting some ancient Chinese wisdom recently? Maybe they’ve convinced you to to practice Tai-Chi, embrace lymphatic jumping, or try acupuncture. All of these practices have roots in traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, a 2,000-plus-year-old practice of alternative medicine that focuses on balancing the body’s internal yin and yang forces to achieve a smooth flow of qi, or energy, through the body. The shift towards TCM is part of a trend of bucking western medicine in search of something more holistic—taking care of the mind, body, and spirit with prevention and longevity in mind. Social media has been particularly taken by one aspect of TCM, seemingly for its ease of adoption and purported health benefits: drinking hot water instead of cold water.

“I personally feel like there is a difference between drinking hot water and drinking cold water,” says Sherry Zhu, who helped popularize the so-called ‘Chinamaxxing’ trend on TikTok under the username sherryxiiruii. “I don't know if this is a placebo because I’m not educated in traditional Chinese medicine, and this is sort of just passed-down daily lifestyle habits from my mother and my grandmother, but I really do feel like, digestion-wise, a lot better when I'm drinking hot water. And I would go so far as to say that when I'm feeling anxious or nervous, hot water really calms me down.”

Personal anecdotes about the positive effects of drinking hot water on the body are plentiful online. But is what Zhu and others say scientifically backed? We spoke to experts to find out.

What are the purported benefits of drinking hot water?

Many self-identified Chinamaxxing influencers advocate for drinking hot water first-thing in the morning. According to Ada Ooi, an integrative Chinese medicine clinician and founder of 001 London, traditional Chinese medicine says that “warm water activates the stomach and spleen systems, which govern digestion, energy production, and fluid metabolism [as well as] supports liver detoxification after sleep, and improves blood flow to the digestive tract.”

How do those claims stand up under the scientific method? Dr. Alexander GolBerg MD, DO, a longevity and aesthetic medicine physician, says some research indicates that warm water might be better to drink than cold. “There is some real science behind [the idea that cold water slows digestion], but it’s limited,” Dr. GolBerg says. '”Cold temperature can temporarily dampen stomach contractions and blood flow, which may [make slow down your body’s ability to digest food] initially. That said, in most people, the body compensates quickly, so the overall impact is modest.”

Ooi notes that, upon waking up, the body is transitioning from its most yin, or passive, state into a state of activity. That means the body quickly ramps up blood circulation after slowing down during sleep, digestion kicks back into action, and there is an increase in cortisol, the stress hormone.“Drinking warm water at this time supports that transition gently rather than forcing it,” she says. On the contrary, jolting the system by introducing cold water will cool the stomach and spleen systems, making it more difficult for your body to break down food. The results, she says, can include bloating, acne, fatigue, and brain fog, some of which has been backed by medical journals One 2006 study from the Journal of Gastroenterology showed that ingesting cold water can aggravate symptoms for those with irritable bowel syndrome, and there is evidence in mice that daily consumption of cold water can cause cognitive decline over time, per a published 2020 study in the journal Acta Pharmacologica Sinic. However, any links to cold water consumption and acne have yet to be discovered.

Should you completely stop drinking cold water?

When it’s 100 degrees out with 90% humidity, a glass of cold water sounds way more appealing than a cup of hot water. Those who follow TCM don’t completely keep cold water out of their system, and say the occasional glass is OK.

“It can feel refreshing, help lower body temperature after intense heat exposure or exercise, and temporarily increase alertness through nervous system stimulation,” Ooi says. “However, regular consumption, especially first thing in the morning or alongside meals, can be problematic.”

In her clinical practice, Ooi has noticed that those with anxiety, gut troubles, fertility problems, or chronic skin issues have worsened ailments with continued cold-water intake, noting “what feels stimulating in the short term can become depleting long term.”

She’s also careful to specify that completely eliminating cold water from your life is unrealistic. “As with most things in Chinese medicine, it’s not about rigid rules, it’s about appropriateness: matching habits to your constitution, environment, and current state of health,” Ooi says.

OK, but what about cold plunges?

The bodily benefits of cold plunges have been well-studied in the scientific community. As have soaks in baths and hot tubs.“Cold plunges may reduce soreness, support recovery, and boost alertness and mood,” Dr. GolBerg says. “Warm baths relax muscles, improve sleep, and help with chronic pain and stress. There’s no universal winner: cold for recovery and inflammation, warm for relaxation and repair.”

Practitioners of TCM generally advise against cold plunges for the same reason they advise against drinking cold water: Its shocking effect on the organs that can hinder proper bodily functions. Though, as TCM practitioners often reiterate, moderation is key when it comes to exposing the body to the cold, and it also depends on a person’s current state of being on whether or not cold plunging or bathing in warm water can be beneficial.

Overall though, it’s important to pay attention to your body and see how it responds to any shift in habit. But it’s no surprise that, especially in these cold winter months, people appear to be adopting the transition to warm water over cold water with ease. “The responses to drinking hot water have been really nice,” Zhu says. “Viewers say it’s a game changer.”