The use of common and exotic teas in managing covid-19 related symptoms

Abstract

Herbal teas are aromatic beverages commonly prepared by pouring hot water over the cured leaves or by boiling them. They have been used as traditional medicines for decades because of their health benefits. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potency of Lipton tea, Evergreen tea, Green tea, Mountain forest tea, Oolong tea, and Egret river tea in managing dry cough, vomiting, sore throat, pneumonia, diarrhea, and respiratory distress. The selected teas were tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans using the agar well diffusion method. All plates were inoculated and incubated for 24 hours at 37oC. After incubation, each plate was observed for the formation of clear zones around the well. Our findings revealed that S. aureus, Strep. pyogenes, and E. coli were highly susceptible to green tea extracts. However, all the tea samples showed no activity on C. albicans. This result proffers that different varieties of common and exotic herbal teas have a great effect in suppressing related symptoms of covid-19 and therefore, may be used as adjuvants with other anti-viral and antibiotic medications when treating infection.