Fact Check: Drinking tea may prevent or cure coronavirus?

New Delhi : India is under 21-day complete lockdown to ensure that the coronavirus stops spreading in the nation, but what's not stopping it the advices people are sharing with each other to stay protected from the Covid 19 virus.

Recently, a message claiming that drinking hot tea may prevent or even cure you from the coronavirus is being circulated in the social media.

The claim is being made that the Chinese doctor Li Wenliang, who red flagged the coronavirus and later died due to it, has mentioned in is his case research that substances commonly found in tea can decrease the impact of the virus - these are known as methylxanthines. It has also been claimed that hospitals in China are now serving tea to the patients three times a day.

Yes, it is true that methylxanthines is found in tea as well as in coffee and chocolates too. But there are no evidence that it can help in prevention or cure from coronavirus.

There are no official evidence that Dr Li Wenliang was researching their effect, moreover he was an eye specialist and not any expert on virus.

News reports in China in February also picked up on the claim that tea could be used to stop the virus, but said it was not true.