Covid-19 & Tea
So much of the world’s response to the pandemic has been finding physical ways to protect ourselves - masks, antibacterial gels, social distancing, quarantines, border shutdowns etc. The PR campaign from our public institutions has been “be afraid, be very afraid”.
We are nearly a year and a half into the global pandemic and a clear pattern has emerged - it is those of us who have compromised immune systems and those of us who possess comorbidities who are feeling the full force of the virus… and sadly it is this slice of the world’s population that makes up the overwhelming majority of the 0.5 to 1 percent death rate from the coronavirus[1] [2].
Without any disrespect to this percentage of people and their loved ones, the rest of the world’s population have had their freedom of movement severely curtailed in order to protect a very small vulnerable group.
But what if there was another way? What if our political leaders and public servants focused on a campaign and program of empowerment that resulted in a positive outcome for everyone?
I’m talking about intensely educating people on how to use wholefoods as preventative and treatable medicine to boost immune systems, and governments subsidising organic non-GMO foods and natural supplements to make these virus fighters affordable for everyone.
Just think about it… our immune cells are made of the food and drinks we consume. If your immune system is made up of highly-processed and inorganic foods and beverages, are your immune cells going to be able to put up a victorious fight against a sly mutating pathogen? Without man-made medical intervention, it makes it a whole lot more challenging.
What can help our immune systems conquer coronaviruses?
To name a few, there are vitamin D supplements[3], (adaptogenic mushrooms, such as chaga[4] and tea[5]!
Who would have thought it, right? Tea can actually be a part of your utility belt as you confidently strike your superhero pose when the topic of COVID comes up, because you know your body’s got this!
How does tea help you? Green tea possesses a compound called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and black tea contains a compound called theaflavin that have both been found to have anti-viral activity. Recent studies have shown that binding sites of the coronavirus and their interaction with these tea compounds can affect the virus’s docking abilities onto human cells.
Of course, don’t forget that you want to be drinking a tea that is 100% organic, as insecticides, fungicides and herbicides have been shown to negatively impact the immune system.
Given the increasing density of the world’s population, there may likely be another pandemic in the lifetimes of many of us. When the next one arrives, we could repeat the years of 2020/21 - frightened and anxious as we bunker down and wait for our scientists and bureaucrats to save us, or we can seize our fate with our own hands and build up superhero-level immune systems that empower our T-cells to eat up those virus particles like it’s nobody’s business! As an added bonus, we may just end up saving more lives overall by bringing down the rates of hypertension, diabetes and cancer, simply by changing our mindsets and habits.
Health experts across the globe - Shawn Stevenson[6], Steven Gundry[7], Dhru Purohit[8] and Dave Asprey[9] – have been shouting the same message and are trying to start a nutrition and mindset revolution in the wake of COVID so that the world doesn’t have to shut down again. If you are serious about protecting yourself against the virus, it would be remiss of you not to seek out the pearls of wisdom these health experts and others have to offer.
Jaq James has a botany diploma and has studied tea culture and tea science in the birthplace of black tea and oolong tea - Mount Wuyi in China.
[1] https://fullfact.org/health/toby-young-ifr-tweet/
[2] https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/study-identifies-four-main-comorbidities-associate
[3] https://clinicalmolecularallergy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12948-020-00139-0
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7551890/
[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0944711320301185
[6] https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-stevenson-4b346123
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Gundry
[8] https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/dhru-purohit-podcast/id1381257272