Abstract

Herbal teas are sold for medicinal purposes, as well as a beverage. Herbal teas may consist of many ingredients, mainly botanical ingredients, and therefore are susceptible to contamination from the environment and manufacturing processes, which can interfere with their medicinal purposes. This research investigated the contamination of herbal teas by fluoride, chloride and sulfate. The results demonstrated that none of the samples contained fluoride. As for chloride and sulfate levels, some samples exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Commission (EC) permissible levels (250 mg/L) for drinking water, while others demonstrated high levels but did not exceed the permissible levels. Some samples exceeded the 500 mg/L sulfate level suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) to cause health problems. This study demonstrated that the herbal teas contamination is from the herbal teas ingredients and not only from the water used for the preparation. Contamination of the herbal teas and sometimes exceeding the permissible levels could lead to health problems, interfere with the function, and therefore defy the purpose of using it. Therefore, to ensure the effectiveness of the herbal teas as an alternative medicine and avoid health problems, herbal teas should fall under stringent regulations concerning planting, harvesting, manufacturing, and ensuring quality control.

Key words: Fluoride, chloride, sulfate, contamination, herbal tea, botanical product, USEnvironmental Protection Agency (US EPA), World Health Organization (WHO).