Thread by @vipintukur

Can a cup of tea keep COVID away?

A recent study demonstrates that certain teas inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in saliva.
Researchers demonstrate how certain teas inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in saliva—in some cases by up to 99.9%. 1/

This is important because the virus infects & replicates inside the oral cavity, passing through oropharynx before reaching lungs. Inactivating SARS-2 in the mouth & throat matters because that potentially reduces the introduction of the virus to the lower respiratory tract 2/

The researchers studied 24 different types of teas. Of those, they found 5 that significantly reduced the virus in saliva: raspberry zinger, eucalyptus mint, mint medley, green tea & black tea, w/ black tea showing the greatest reduction. 3/

The team tested the efficacy of tea both as a drink and as a gargle to provide an option for those do not want to drink tea but want a highly concentrated rinse that would provide the same benefits as drinking a cup of tea. 4/

They prepared a drinkable infusion concentration using one tea bag per cup steeped for 10 minutes, w/ no additions such as milk or sugar. All five teas reduced the virus by at least 96% within 10 seconds in the mouth. Black tea was the most effective, reducing virus by 99.9% 5/

When tested as a gargle, they brewed the tea at four times the concentration of the drinkable infusion, finding that all five varieties of tea reduced the virus by 99.9% within 10 seconds when gargled. 6/

At this stage, they are not suggesting tea as a stand-alone intervention against SARS-CoV-2, because the virus also replicates in the nose and may have already reached the lung by the time a person tests positive. 7/

But tea can be an additional layer of intervention that the patients and their families can easily adopt on a routine basis. 8/8

link.springer.com/article/10.100…