Within the Nineties and early 2000s, my household drank iced tea daily. We made it in massive glass pitchers and saved it within the fridge.
We all the time used the identical model, which we purchased from our native pure meals retailer.
It tasted good by itself, so we by no means added sugar. I had no motive to imagine it wasn’t wholesome and protected.
Years later, I began studying extra about how tea is grown and processed. I discovered a number of experiences displaying that tea will be contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, and even mildew.
Most of the teas most affected come from nations that also use chemical substances banned within the U.S.
This involved me, so I appeared into the precise tea my household had used for years.
I checked the place it was grown.
I contacted the producer instantly and requested in the event that they examined for pesticides, heavy metals, or mycotoxins. Lengthy story brief, the reply I obtained wasn’t passable.
Tea is without doubt one of the most chemically contaminated crops on the earth.
Some tea-producing nations nonetheless use pesticides like DDT, which was banned within the U.S. in 1972 due to its hyperlinks to most cancers, hormone disruption, and neurological harm.
Tea leaves are dried—not washed—earlier than packaging. Which means any pesticide residue left on the leaves leads to your cup.
Even natural teas will be contaminated if they’re processed alongside typical teas or not examined recurrently.
There are not any authorized necessities for tea corporations to check for these substances or to reveal their sourcing.
If an organization doesn’t check, they’ll’t know whether or not their tea is clear. That was the case with the tea I used to drink. As soon as I spotted that, I ended shopping for it, regardless that it was a staple in our family—a lot in order that household and mates actually dubbed it “Burhenne Tea.”
In case you assume that is an argument towards tea, it’s not.
Tea—when sourced and examined correctly—is without doubt one of the finest each day habits you possibly can undertake on your oral well being and microbiome (hyperlink to the one I drink).
As we speak, I drink inexperienced tea that has been examined for toxins and grown in areas with strict agricultural requirements. I solely purchase from manufacturers that present third-party testing for pesticides, heavy metals, and mildew.
In contrast to most drinks, inexperienced tea helps oral well being fairly than harming it.
Listed below are three causes I like inexperienced tea for selling higher oral well being:
Inexperienced tea helps cut back dangerous oral micro organism
It comprises catechins, which goal and suppress microbes like Streptococcus mutans and P. gingivalis.
These micro organism contribute to cavities and gum illness.
→ Research: Catechins inhibit oral pathogens
Inexperienced tea helps gum well being
Research present it reduces gum irritation and slows the development of periodontal illness, even when used with typical therapy.
→ Research: Inexperienced tea improves periodontal outcomes
Inexperienced tea improves breath with out harming the microbiome
It neutralizes risky sulfur compounds, which trigger dangerous breath, however doesn’t kill useful micro organism like antiseptic mouthwashes do.
→ Research: Inexperienced tea reduces halitosis
Inexperienced tea additionally comprises no sugar or acid. Which means you possibly can drink it all through the day with out feeding dangerous micro organism or eroding your enamel. Evaluate that to soda, kombucha, or fruit juice!
Now, I solely drink inexperienced tea that’s well-sourced, and examined (hyperlink to the one I drink).
Inexperienced tea is considered one of my favourite issues that I get to advocate as a dentist—as a result of it doesn’t really feel like a burden. It’s pleasant. It has caffeine! You possibly can drink it scorching or iced. It helps your oral well being with out demanding self-discipline or including one other chore to your day. In contrast to flossing—which, sure, I do know lots of you might have come to like (and I like that)—inexperienced tea is simple to embrace.
In case you’ve been right here some time, you understand how I really feel about mouthwash—it wipes out your oral microbiome and is even proven to trigger hypertension. I don’t advocate any mouthwash, even the “pure” ones as a result of they include important oils that are disruptive to the oral microbiome.
However if you happen to just like the ritual of mouthwash, I do have a DIY inexperienced tea mouthwash recipe on my web site. Inexperienced tea is the primary ingredient—as a result of that’s how highly effective it’s on your oral well being.
– Dr. Mark Burhenne
P.S. Have you ever skilled one thing comparable? Have you ever ever trusted one thing for years and later discovered it wasn’t what you thought? Ship me a reply. I’d like to listen to about it.
