Safe To Eat Tea Leaves from Tea Bag?

by TRM
(Brentwood, CA, USA)

I don't care for tea (of any kind) but want the benefits of green tea. I have been dumping my organic tea bags into smoothies, salads and cereal. There isn't much flavor to speak of. I'm just wondering if it's effective and/or safe.

Answer:

TRM, if the tea doesn't taste like anything, then chances are there are fewer health benefits.

In tea bag, the leaves have been chopped into small pieces, and with possible long shelf life, it means the antioxidants can easily oxidise away.

Green tea antioxidants such as egcg are extremely active and do not store easily. Good quality loose tea is freeze stored in air-sealed bag and keep fresh for only up to 12 months.

And it is these compounds that give green tea its taste.

As for eating tea leaves, doing it occasionally is fine, but I do not recommend.

Many people say by eating the leaves whole you are getting all the health benefits. This is not true.

This is because important tea compounds such as the catechins (antioxidants), caffeine and theanine (a relaxant that gives tea its characteristic taste) are all water soluble. So are many of the lesser compounds.

What is not water soluble are some of the pesticides and other unknown compounds. Because they are not water soluble, they have greater chance of accumulation in the body.

So it turns out that in green tea the safest way to consume it is the old trial and tested way - by steeping the leaves in hot water.

I hope this answer helps.

Julian

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Safe To Eat Tea Leaves from Tea Bag?

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Apr 11, 2009
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Eating Tea Leaves
by: Anonymous

Consider that tea leaves are only washed and sun dried, before chopping and bagging. That means they are not COOKED until you pour boiling water on them. Bacteria, bird and insect droppings, and other matter may be present. I would advise against eating from the bag.

Apr 12, 2009
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Raw vs Cooked Tea
by: Julian

Tea is roasted at high heat during the making process to kill enzymes and halt the oxidisation process.

The process also reduces moisture to minimal and prevents the growing of bacteria.

(However, if tea leaves gain moisture later, which is inevitable for tea bags, it will gradually turn bad later.)

But still, it is not a good idea to eat tea leaves. Tea leaves are uncooked are is not the the main reason.

Jun 21, 2009
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Inconclusive
by: Anonymous

Disappointing. I don't see how the water solubility of tea leaves makes it inadvisable to eat tea leaves in some way or form. The explanation of the methods of storing tea and such were thorough, but this piece seems to have failed in addressing the question accurately. So did the previous comments.

As for the comment about contamination, if tea leaves were somehow contaminated and unsafe to eat, then it stands to reason that in some obvious ways they would be unsafe to steep in water, strain, and drink.

Jun 22, 2009
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Assymetrical Benefits and Risk
by: Julian

It is NOT so much about dealing with the situation accurately, or finding scientific evidence to justify eating tea leaves.

The starting point is for hundreds of years, Chinese tea experts have advised against eating tea leaves, can we find a reason to DO it?

We start with three facts:

- Most of the health benefits of tea leaves are water-soluble: theanine, caffeine and catechins (antioxidants). So you don't gain much by eating tea leaves.

- Most of the health hazards are much less water soluble: heavymetals and pesticides. So you lose much by eating tea leaves.

- The trial-and-tested method of consuming tea leaves are steeping and infusion, not eating.

So if I want to recommend eating tea leaves, I need to see firm scientific proof that it is safe, not the other way round.

Oct 16, 2009
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hummmm
by: dorothy

Well, in looking for information about green tea as to fighting the Flu, I found just what I was looking for. Several web sites had great information and even this site, I found additional info.

But I had to leave comment because I was tickled by the response left by Anonymous to julian; "you are a bitch". (laughing) Grow up Anonymous!!! (laughing)

So, I thank you Julian for your posting. I agreed with it and thought it well stated and so I will take it into consideration as I more properly sip my green tea to ward off the flu.
dorothy

Oct 19, 2009
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I inclined to agree with "anonymous"
by: Anonymous 2

None of this is conclusive PLUS chinese people (and Japanese and Korean) actually eat tea leaves all the time or so I'm told by all my international student friends from east Asian.

One friend went so far as to say that it's a cultural norm to eat tea leaves because it cleans the palelt and keeps your mouth fresher.

Also - there's heavy metals and all kinds of things in pretty much everything we eat. and it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Zinc is a necessity and it's absolutely a heavy metal. and putting tea in BOILING water is going to de-lodge contaminants whether they're water soluble or not.

Oct 19, 2009
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Drink versus Eating Tea Leaves
by: Julian

I think it just comes back to how comfortable you are eating tea leaves.

The issue is that tea leaves have the tendency to absorp contaminants from the environment.

The older the leaves, the higher the risk.

Risks are the lowest when:

- you are drinking a young tea buds (i.e. the first two leaves at the top of the bush)

- green tea (because they are younger leaves)

- your tea leaves are high quality and taste good

- you drink a small amount of tea each day

There is a big difference on what you actually consume when you are drinking soluble soiids OR eating whole leaves.

If you are not confident of the quality of your leaves, or just want to be safe, or you are drinking a lot a lot of tea, then my advice is to drink it, not eat it.

Nov 15, 2009
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Tea leaves are good
by: Trevor S.

A contaminated tea bag will still give you the contaminates when placed in water.

Bacteria will often die in high temperatures , so your probably safe on that part . If there are pesticides which I highly doubt.

You are still consuming that, no matter if you eat it or if its placed in water , most pesticides are water soluble.

Not to mention , a lot of foods in your local grocery mart probably have had pesticides on it at one point , or are still in the food itself.

So don't be scared to eat some tea leaves, after all you are getting all of its benefits when eating it , and your getting less from drinking.

There is so much nutrients and such being absorbed in to the water that it cannot absorb anymore and therefore you'll be loosing out because a lot of the benefits are still in the leaves and not in your cup of tea.

My advice: Eat tea leaves or drink them, whichever you prefer.

Nov 16, 2009
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Eat dry leaves for your health
by: Bev

While traveling in Morocco, I got a case of diarrhea. Our guide procured some dry "Moroccan green tea" leaves (I think it is actually a certain variety of Chinese green tea) in the dried form of little pearls. He gave me the tea and instructed me to swallow two or three teaspoonfuls with as little water as possible just to get it to go down.

It worked like a charm - very quickly and completely - my previously recurring, miserable symptoms disappeared. I have used it several times since for severe indigestion and nausea and again had very satisfactory results.

My theory is that the tea leaves expand, and thoroughly absorb everything in their path. From stomach to colon, they cleanse and carry a lot of contaminants right on out of the body. Like a sponge, soaking up and clearing out bacteria, mucous and acid.

After waiting an hour or two for the tea to do its job, then you should hydrate once again by drinking plenty of water.