White Tea's Antibacterial and Antiviral Properties

by Daniel
(Berlin, Germany)

Several studies in the past have indicated that tea may have antiviral and antibacterial properties. And according to an article from science daily, white tea tops green tea in terms of its germ-fighting ability.

A study referenced in the article showed that white tea extract was even more effective than green tea in deactivating viral properties of microbes, thus neutralizing them. When the extract was added to anti-microbial toothpaste, the germ-fighting ability of the toothpaste was also enhanced.

In addition, white tea was show to have anti-fungal properties as well, at least on Penicillium chrysogenum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Spores and yeast cells were completely inactivated when exposed to the white tea extract.

As is usually the case with studies involving tea, this one is still inconclusive. Nevertheless, it seems everyone can agree that tea is not harmful, so there's really no reason not to add a few cups of this delicious beverage to your day.


Sources:

General information about white tea taken from this white tea guide.

Information about the anti-microbial properties of white tea originally found in the article White Tea Beats Green Tea In Fighting Germs on Science Daily.com