Cancer risk from plant toxins in chamomile tea

"WISO": Danger of cancer from chamomile tea

04/28/2014

Many camomile tea varieties are contaminated with carcinogenic plant toxins. This has the ZDF consumer magazine "WISO" found out. In 10 out of 15 samples a plant toxin could be detected that can damage the organism and also cause liver tumors.

10 of a total of 15 camomile tea strains charged
As the ZDF consumer magazine "WISO" has found out, many chamomile tea strains are burdened with carcinogenic plant toxins. In 10 of a total of 15 samples, so-called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) could be detected, in part in small amounts but also in higher amounts. According to the Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR), this herbal toxin can damage the organism and cause liver tumors in long and high doses. Particularly at risk are children, infants, babies and nursing mothers. In children, the body does not flush out the plant poison, but stores it. Like the plant poison expert Dr. Helmut Wiedenfeld from the University of Bonn in "WISO" explains, therefore, the risk for children is ten to a hundred times higher than in adults.

In the fennel tea no plant poisons were found
The consumer magazine had tested 15 chamomile and 15 fennel teas from the food trade, pharmacies and drugstores in an independent laboratory. In Fenneltee no Pyrrolizidinalkaloide were found. "WISO" moderator Martin Leutke presents the detailed results on Monday, April 28, 2014 at 19:25 on ZDF.

There are no legal limits
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment had already determined high PA levels in various teas in the summer of 2013. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has been warning for years about the dangerous long-term effects of this substance even at low doses, there are no legal limits. For manufacturers, the only recommendation is to control their harvest practice and not exceed internationally recognized maximum quantities. The Pyrrolizidinalkaloide are not in the tea herbs themselves, but in plants such as the ragwort, which grows as a weed between the tea herbs. It can therefore easily get into the harvest.

Healthy herbal teas as a natural home remedy
Nevertheless, reports of contaminated herbal teas should not lead to giving up hot drinks, as they can in many cases provide natural health help. So, depending on the ingredients, they can have a calming or invigorating effect, cause a gentle detoxification of the body and they are also often used in diets. In addition, various teas are used as natural home remedies for complaints such as fever, hoarseness, abdominal pain or heartburn. Teas can also have a preventative effect. It has already been shown in various studies that green tea extracts have a health-promoting effect and, for example, can prevent colon cancer. (Sb)