You may have heard on social media that this specific "plant" or that particular "food" strengthens the immune system and can even help with covid-19 infections. However, these claims are usually not backed by science.

With tea, things are a bit different. It's the second most popular beverage in the world so it's more likely that some scientists would be interested in analyzing its benefits.

A recent Japanese study published in the Clinical Nutrition Open Science journal has shown that the compound epigallocatechin gallate, which is abundantly found in green tea, has been shown to inhibit infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Also, countries with high consumption of green tea have been shown to have a lower morbidity/mortality rate during the pandemic.

 

Another study published in the US National Library of Medicine found that 20 compounds that are present in black and green tea showed significant antiviral activity against covid and lowered infections with existing and newer variants.

These compounds are released when black or green tea gets infused in hot water for at least 10 seconds.

 

Studies links:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34695222/
• https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/NFS-08-2021-0258/full/html
• https://www.clinicalnutritionopenscience.com/article/S2667-2685(22)00002-X/pdf