White tea helps fight viruses and bacteria

If you're trying to fight off infections and illness, sip white tea instead of green, suggests Milton Schiffenbauer, Ph.D., a microbiologist and professor at Pace University in New York City. In laboratory tests, Schiffenbauer found white tea, which has a delicate flavor, more effective than green tea at inactivating viruses, bacteria and fungi responsible for streptococcus infections and pneumonia. When it comes to fighting bugs, "white tea is about 10 percent more effective than green," he says.

Shape Magazine, October 2004