2024-04-15 04:02:29
pte20240415001 Research/development, medicine/wellness
Gargling is even more successful than drinking, scientific tests from the University of Georgia show
Tea connoisseurs: Consumption also prevents Corona (Photo: Lachmann-Anke, pixabay.com)
Tbilisi (pte001/15.04.2024/06:00)
Anyone who drinks a cup of black tea kills 99.9 percent of the viruses in the mouth that cause corona infections. This surprising discovery was made by Malak Esseili, a virologist at the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia. She knew about the health benefits of drinking tea. So she came up with the idea of checking whether the drink also helps against COVID-19.
Five of 24 teas effective
During tests, the expert discovered that five of them deactivate fours in saliva. “This is important because it can reduce the penetration of the virus into the lower respiratory tract,” says Esseili. Only there does it develop its healing effect. Esseili and Julianna Morris, who earned her master’s degree in food science in 2023, examined 24 different types of commercially available teas, some of which were touted as valuable for respiratory health. Five of them significantly reduced the virus in saliva, including green and black tea, which proved to be particularly effective. All tests took place in the laboratory under simulated conditions.
The effectiveness of tea was tested as both a drink and a gargle to provide an alternative for those who do not want to drink tea. The researchers worked with tea bags and prepared the drinks according to the manufacturer’s instructions. All five teas, when drunk, reduced the virus in the mouth by at least 96 percent within ten seconds. For the gargle version, they used four tea bags. The infusion was so effective that 99.9 percent of viruses were killed within ten seconds, which applies to all five teas.
No replacement for conventional medicine
Clinical studies will now follow to better understand what impact these results might have on a patient suffering from COVID-19, says Esseili, emphasizing that tea is not a substitute for medical care. Nevertheless, the initial results are particularly promising for those looking for a supplement to medical care. “But tea can be an additional measure that patients and their families can easily use routinely,” it concludes.
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