Are you a tea lover? Opt for green tea, it has many health benefits. Slimming, anti-aging or even stimulating virtueshe could even help strengthen memory thanks to its antioxidants. A new benefit of this drink has been demonstrated in a recent collaborative work.
Indeed, according to Indian and American researchers, green tea would also have therapeutic potential against Covid-19. Their results were published in February 2023 issue of the magazine Phytomedicine Plus.
Green tea has a high antiviral load
To reach this conclusion, the scientists did not do any research, but a review article. So they drew on more than 30 research published between 2000 and 2022, which demonstrate the impact of green tea on different types of coronavirusincluding new variants of Covid-19.
“We have collected articles published related to anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity EGCG against the original strain (Wuhan type) et its newly emerged variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus“, explains the article. The goal of this work was to pave the way for antiviral drugs, thanks to green tea.
Their analyzes proven positive. It would come from a cachectin (molecule belonging to the flavonoid family) present in green tea called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). “Recently, the strong antiviral activity of EGCG against SARS-CoV-2 infection in in vitro models [en dehors d’un organisme vivant ] potentiates the use of EGCG in the treatment of COVID-19 patients“, explain the researchers.
Green tea: EGCG offers hope for treatment against Covid-19
However, despite the various studies on the subject, green tea is not used as a therapeutic means. This comes from the fact that its molecule which has an antiviral capacity is poorly absorbed by the body, which makes it present in the body in too little quantity. Thus, present at too low a dose, it is not not efficient.
However, thanks to this new study, researchers insist on the importance of the EGCG molecule present in green tea. They believe that by improving its availability in the bodyshe could become a real therapeutic tool against the Covid-19 virus.
“EGCG may be useful for reduce this viral load in the salivary glands of COVID-19 patientsif applied with techniques of mouth and throat wash at optimal concentrations. EGCG could be a promising candidate in the development of an effective vaccine for the prevention of infections newly emerging strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. EGCG could also be useful as a clinical drug for the treatment of patients with Covid-19, whether its bioavailability in human plasma is improved,” the researchers conclude.