Infused tea removes heavy metal impurities from water. That’s according to a new study from Northwestern University in Illinois.
A tea bag steeped in one cup of water for three to five minutes can remove about 15% of the lead in that water, researchers said. During the brewing process, the leaves absorb heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, they said.
The longer the tea is boiled, the less heavy metals remain in the water, said study author Benjamin Shindel. If tea is boiled for as long as possible, it is possible to remove all toxins from the water, he said.
For the study, the researchers tested different types of tea, different tea bags and different brewing methods to assess how well they absorb lead, chromium, copper, zinc and cadmium.
Different types of tea in different tea bags were found to have the ability to absorb metals. However, cellulose tea bags have been shown to absorb much more than cotton and nylon tea bags.
Despite these findings, the researchers warned that people should not rely on tea alone to purify water.
“We are not public health researchers, so we don’t know if the reduction in lead observed in our study will benefit the health of the general population. However, I think it is good for people to know that boiling tea will reduce the amount of lead and possibly other toxins they get in their drinking water,” said Schindel.
The results may help explain why people who drink more tea are less likely to suffer from heart disease and stroke than those who drink less, the researcher said.
It is well known that the drink is the second most popular on the planet after plain water. But as well as being refreshing in summer and warming in winter, herbal tea is also beneficial.
Nutritionists have explained how daily consumption of herbal tea affects the body in the short and long term. Unlike black or green tea, herbal teas do not contain caffeine and promote relaxation, improve digestion and help maintain water balance in the body.
