Posted on 03/30/2008 4:37:32 PM PDT by decimon
Green tea can help beat superbugs according to Egyptian scientists speaking today (Monday 31 March 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 162nd meeting being held this week at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
The pharmacy researchers have shown that drinking green tea helps the action of important antibiotics in their fight against resistant superbugs, making them up to three times more effective.
Green tea is a very common beverage in Egypt, and it is quite likely that patients will drink green tea while taking antibiotics. The medical researchers wanted to find out if green tea would interfere with the action of the antibiotics, have no effect, or increase the medicines’ effects.
“We tested green tea in combination with antibiotics against 28 disease causing micro-organisms belonging to two different classes,” says Dr Mervat Kassem from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Alexandria University in Egypt. “In every single case green tea enhanced the bacteria-killing activity of the antibiotics. For example the killing effect of chloramphenicol was 99.99% better when taken with green tea than when taken on its own in some circumstances.”
Green tea also made 20% of drug-resistant bacteria susceptible to one of the cephalosporin antibiotics. These are important antibiotics that new drug resistant strains of bacteria have evolved to resist.
The results surprised the researchers, showing that in almost every case and for all types of antibiotics tested, drinking green tea at the same time as taking the medicines seemed to reduce the bacteria’s drug resistance, even in superbug strains, and increase the action of the antibiotics. In some cases, even a low concentration of green tea was effective.
“Our results show that we should consider more seriously the natural products we consume in our everyday life,” says Dr Kassem. “In the future, we will be looking at other natural herb products such as marjoram and thyme to see whether they also contain active compounds which can help in the battle against drug resistant bacteria”.
With all that’s being written about green tea and black tea, I think I may be including more tea in day.
Green tea soon to be taxed for it's benefit bestowed upon society without political dogma as it's reason for being such an asset.
Let's have a tea party and celebrate!
I suggest Boston Bay for the location of celebration.
Well, you could grow your own tea in your basement. But then you'd be SWAT raided for having too high an electric bill. Guess we'll have to pay the tax. ;-)
There’s no Boston Bay,it’s Boston Hahbah.
Hahbah — as in Bah Hahbah, Maine.
thanks & a micro ping
If research bears this out, it will be wonderful...
Working with a new team of Docs.
My endrocronoligist insist I drop the diet drinks and switch to green tea.
Took me about 2 months to flip over.
I can’t stand hot drinks and don’t drink coffee never have so I make cold herb fruit flavored tea.
One thing has not adjusted to the 60ozs a day......the bladder but it is getting better. : )
In the start of the change over I would add 3oz of Real OJ to the 17oz of tea and now have weaned off of that to no OJ (as sweetner).
I drink green tea every day. In fact, I’m drinking some right now.
I get the kind with ginseng and honey.
We like iced tea, so I make a gallon at a time, and keep it in the fridge. I use tea bags in my teamaker. Usually use 1 family size black tea bag, and 4 small green tea bags to make a gallon of tea.
What brands do you use?
I drink local (Philadelphia area) brands such as Rosenberg’s and Turkey Hill. Most supermarkets carry it in the refrigerated section where other refrigerated juices and iced teas are displayed. I get either the half gallon or gallon-sized plastic jugs. It’s about $2.00 a half gallon or less.
Thanks, I’ll give it a try.
I’ve never really looked at the prepared teas, because I’ve always brewed ours.
I’ve hesitated to buy a whole box of the dry flavored teas, because I didn’t know if we’d like them, and I wasn’t sure which brand to try.
I’m drinking my green tea with cinnamon added as I do not like the flavor of green tea alone but I am convinced of it’s benefits.
Any word on how green tea consumption helps with Moslem rape, kidnapping, and murders of Christians in Egypt?
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