In Vitro study showing that certain teas can rapidly inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in saliva. At 10 mg/mL infusion, black tea showed the highest reduction (99.9%) of infectious SARS-CoV-2 within 10 seconds. Green, mint medley, eucalyptus mint, and raspberry zinger teas showed 96-99% inactivation at the same concentration. At 40 mg/mL infusions, all five teas inactivated 99.9% of the virus within 10 seconds. Tea polyphenol content, but not pH, significantly correlated with virus reduction. The teas also exhibited preventive effects against SARS-CoV-2 infection of Vero-E6 cells when added before (68-90% reduction), during (99-99.9% reduction), or after (94-98% reduction) virus infection, with the strongest inhibition observed when teas were added at the time of infection. Authors suggest that drinking or gargling tea could be a rapid at-home intervention to reduce infectious SARS-CoV-2 load in the oral cavity and potentially mitigate infection of the oral mucosa.
Morris et al., 31 Jan 2024, peer-reviewed, 2 authors.
In Vitro studies are an important part of preclinical research, however results may be very different in vivo.
