Experts studied various teas that can reportedly reduce Sars-CoV-2 levels on the spot. Check out the latest reports about these below.
Teas that help with Sars-CoV-2 virus
A group of researchers conducted a study on 24 types of commercially available teas and discovered that five of them can significantly reduce the levels of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva.
These five teas are raspberry zinger, eucalyptus mint, mint medley, green tea, and black tea.
To test the effectiveness of the teas, the team brewed them using one tea bag steeped in a cup of water for 10 minutes, with no additives like milk or sugar. They then tested each tea either as a beverage or as a gargle.
The results, which were published in Food and Environmental Virology, showed that all five tea varieties reduced the virus by at least 96 percent within just 10 seconds when used in the mouth and throat. When gargled, the teas were even more effective, eliminating 99.9 percent of the virus in the same timeframe.
Black tea was found to be the most effective against COVID-19, as the virus primarily replicates in the oral cavity before spreading to the lungs.
“Inactivating SARS-CoV-2 in the mouth and throat potentially reduces the introduction of the virus to the lower respiratory system,” Malak Esseili, a virologist with the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said in a statement.
It’s important to note that tea cannot replace medical care for COVID-19 patients, and further clinical trials are necessary to fully understand its impact.
The study mentioned was conducted using cell cultures, not human participants. It’s important to keep in mind that laboratory findings may not always translate to real-world benefits.
“There are lots of times that we will test something in the petri dish and it looks fantastic,” Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital said.
Just because something kills a microbe in the lab doesn’t mean it will be effective in a patient, she said. While test results may show a substance killing bacteria, viruses, or fungi, “when we go to get the same equivalent dose in a human, either the dose is toxic or doesn’t stay in that space long enough, or we can’t get that high enough dose.”
