<strong>Chai Garam</strong>

Chai Per Charcha https://www.tocklai.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Black-Tea-Antiviral-Activity-Boosting-Immunity.pdf

Antiviral activity of Black Tea (Chai) boosting immunity against Corona Virus

Here is a sizzling news that as lockdowns ease across the country and economic activities picked up, tea consumption outside the home has gone up and has reached the pre-COVID levels. About 300 million kg of India’s annual domestic tea consumption of 1100 million kg is consumed in out-of-home format.

By coincidence, I came across an article entitled “Black Tea: Antiviral Activity & Boosting Immunity” written by Dr. A.K. Barooah, Director, Tea Research Association, Jorhat, Assam. While reviewing some research papers on the subject, Dr. Barooah summarized his article concluding that “in view of the available evidence of antiviral activity of black tea and its theaflavins against the SARS-CoV coronavirus (Chen et.al., 2005) and the recent demonstration of the binding efficiency of theaflavins onto the RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of the COVID-19 virus (Lung et.al., 2020), the black tea could very well fit in as a component of a healthy diet for boosting immunity which is considered essential in this critical time of Global pandemic created by COVID-19#.

Way back in the sixties when I was in middle school, that I started drinking tea regularly. I should have consumed these two cups for next nine-ten years until I completed my education and started a carrier. I am sure since that time in seventies, I am consuming three cups on an average daily for the last 45 years. Roughly calculated, it is approximately 60 thousand cups of tea that I have consumed so far. Who knows how much “theaflavins” I have extracted from 60 thousand cups of black tea and imbedded in my body cells? May I presume they are sufficient to fight back the COVID-19 to infect me? Perhaps this is the reason why positivity of coronavirus is exceptionally low in India and alike black tea drinking countries.

If all the research leading to the observation of Dr. Barooah is to be considered, my senior citizen brothers and sisters cheer up over the cups of Garam Chai that you are relishing since your adulthood days. COVID-19 virus will think twice before infecting you. Health researchers are invited to collect data on Black Tea drinkers and find out if their immunity really stand boosted.