Tea is renowned for numerous health benefits, and can be a calming and warm morning ritual, however closer examination of popular tea companies reveals a little more might be in your cup. Many brands contain pesticides, toxins, artificial ingredients, flavours, and GMOs.
Most tea is not washed prior to being put in bags, meaning any pesticides the plants were treated with can end up directly in your cup. For this reason, it makes sense to consider buying organic tea when possible. An independent lab revealed that 91% of Celestial Seasonings teas tested had pesticide residues that exceeded US limits. Some of the residues included propachlor and propargite, which have carcinogenic properties. Steeping your tea bag in hot water increases the leaching capabilities of anything on the tea itself.
Teas listing artificial flavours may be using products derived from the fractional distillation of crude oil or coal tar. Unfortunately natural flavours may not be much better as that term is vague and may apply to anything that is chemically derived from a natural substance. Some teas even list cornstarch or soy lecithin—typically genetically modified crops that you wouldn't even think to associate with tea.
Aside from the ingredients it is also important to consider the packaging. Silky mesh bags may contain plastics that could leach phthalates in to your tea when exposed to boiling water. Paper bags may be treated with epichlorohydrin, a chemical mainly used in production of epoxy resin and as a pesticide. Lab tests show that when in contact with water, this chemical becomes carcinogenic, and has also been shown to interfere with male fertility and suppress the immune system.
For a more detailed analysis of your favourite brand check out this blog post.
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