White tea kills germs

It may have prophylactic applications in retarding growth of bacteria that causes infections.

New studies conducted at Pace University, US have revealed that White Tea Extract (WTE) may have prophylactic applications in retarding growth of bacteria that cause Staphylococcus infections, pneumonia and dental caries.

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"Past studies have shown that green tea stimulates the immune system to fight disease. Our research shows White Tea Extract can actually destroy in vitro the organisms that cause disease. Study after study with tea extract proves that it has many healing properties. This is not an old wives tale, it's a fact," said Milton Schiffenbauer, a microbiologist and professor at Pace University's Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and lead author of the research.

White tea was more effective than green tea at inactivating bacterial viruses. Meanwhile, results obtained with the bacterial virus model shows that WTE may have an anti-viral effect on human pathogenic viruses. The addition of White Tea Extract to various toothpastes like Aquafresh, Colgate, and others also enhanced the anti-microbial effect of these oral agents.

Studies have also indicated that WTE has an anti-fungal effect on Penicillium chrysogenum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In the presence of WTE, Penicillium spores and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells were totally inactivated. It is also suggested that WTE may have an anti-fungal effect on pathogenic human microbes like fungi, bacteria and viruses.