Abstract
The use of green tea and herbal tea for weight loss is increasing worldwide owing to the rising rates of obesity. There are concerns about the safety and quality of these herbal products owing to their increased consumption worldwide. In this study, we evaluated randomly collected samples of green tea and herbal tea and tested them for heavy metal and microbial contamination. Eighteen samples of green tea or herbal tea of widely used brands in Palestine were tested for heavy metal and microbial contamination. The results showed that 7 of the samples had toxic heavy metals such as chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb), and their concentrations were above the allowable limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, 6 of the samples that were tested had microbial contamination with high total aerobic microbial count (TAMC) and total yeast and mold count (TYMC). This could be due to improper handling and storage conditions of these herbal products. This study is the first of its kind in Palestine, and its results are forewarning to all the responsible authorities, including the Ministry of Health (MoH), to take immediate corrective actions such as quality control testing, auditing, and registration of marketed tea products.
Highlights
There is an inclination towards widely using different types of herbal products as complementary and alternative medicine in Palestine, owing to the biodiversity in this area [12]
Herbal products in the Palestinian market are regulated and controlled by the Ministry of Health (MoH) through the General Administration of Pharmacy by the Drug Registration Department. is department is responsible for the registration of imported herbal products and food supplements. e affiliated quality control department is responsible for quality testing and implementing the rules of Good Manufacturing Procedure (GMP) for medicinal herbs packed in Palestinian establishments. e laws and regulations regarding herbal products have been recently established and updated. e MoH has the right to withdraw any herbal products that prove to have a dangerous side effect. e recommendations of the MoH on the allowable limits of heavy metals in herbal medicine are based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [13,14,15]
A total of 18 samples of different brands of tea were analyzed for heavy metal and microbial contamination. e samples were either of green tea or herbal tea, which is frequently used by people who follow weight loss regimens. e majority of the tested samples were of green tea (60%), while other herbal teas constituted 39% of the tested samples. ese percentages reflect the consumption by the public because a majority of the people think that green tea is safer as well as cheaper than other herbal teas for weight loss (Figure 1)
Summary
There is an inclination towards widely using different types of herbal products as complementary and alternative medicine in Palestine, owing to the biodiversity in this area [12]. E recommendations of the MoH on the allowable limits of heavy metals in herbal medicine are based on the recommendations of the WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [13,14,15]. There is still a gap in implementing these rules and regulations with regular quality testing for microbial and heavy metal contamination in green tea and herbal tea that are sold in the Palestinian market [16]. In the Middle East, the results of several studies showed that the heavy metals, such as Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn in the herbal samples that were tested, were above the allowable limits. E objective of our study was to perform a quality check for the microbial and heavy metal contamination in green tea and herbal tea that claims to aid weight loss and is widely used among the Palestinian population. E objective of our study was to perform a quality check for the microbial and heavy metal contamination in green tea and herbal tea that claims to aid weight loss and is widely used among the Palestinian population. e results of the study reflected the actual situation of this problem in Palestine and will help raise the issue of contamination in herbal products to the concerned authorities
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