Two Harrisburg University alumni and Pharmaceutical Sciences Professor Dr. Erik Hefti teamed to publish a peer-reviewed article in the Journal, Current Nutriceuticals.
The article, “Anti-infective and Antineoplastic properties of Green Tea Catechins: Examining the Therapeutic Risk-Benefit ratio,” was co-written by Hefti and Luciene DePaula Mendes, who earned an M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at HU, and Sharif Beyah, who received an M.S. in Biotechnology at the University.
“Luciene is one of the first graduates from the M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences program. Sharif is a graduate from the M.S. in biotech and is an example of the collaborative approach to graduate science education where students can work with professors across programs to pursue research of their interest,” Hefti said.
The article examines the medical use of green tea, including its use in the treatment of COVID 19.
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were few treatment options available. This led many to consider alternative medicines and herbal remedies to treat or prevent COVID-19. Supplementation with green tea extract was considered by some to be potentially beneficial because of its antioxidant content and history of use as an herbal remedy.
The study results indicate that currently, there is no conclusive evidence that green tea extract is appropriate to treat any infectious disease (including COVID-19). There were documented instances that show green tea extracts having some side effects and interactions at high doses with select prescription medications. Based on this, it is best to enjoy green tea as a beverage rather than use it as a medicine.
The abstract from the paper can be found here.
Paper Citation: De Paula Mendes Luciene ,Beyah Sharif ,Hefti Erik, “Anti-infective and Antineoplastic properties of Green Tea Catechins: Examining the Therapeutic Risk-Benefit ratio”, Current Nutraceuticals 2021; 2() : e241121198250. https://doi.org/10.2174/2665978602666211124093814
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