Rinsing mouth with water can prevent influenza
Rinsing mouth with water can prevent influenza
Research by Professor Tadayoshi Inamura of Showa University in Japan shows that catechins in tea can inhibit the activity of influenza virus. Consistent use of tea water for mouth rinsing can effectively prevent influenza.
Influenza primarily results from viruses multiplying on mucosal cells in the nose and throat. Regular mouth rinsing with tea water allows catechins to coat these mucosal projections, preventing viral attachment and killing the virus. Catechins act like a vaccine against influenza, providing preventive protection. They are present in oolong tea, black tea, and Japanese tea, but green tea offers the best preventive effect.
Diluting everyday green tea to one-quarter concentration and mixing it with influenza virus for just five seconds renders the virus incapable of infection. Professor Inamura, an expert in cholera bacteria, discovered as early as 1988 that catechins have strong bactericidal properties. He believes that adding a certain amount of catechins to cholera bacteria stops their activity within seconds.