White tea seems to be more effective than green tea in fighting germs, says new Pace University research.

“Past studies have shown that green tea stimulates the immune system to fight disease,” study author Milton Schiffenbauer, a microbiologist and professor in Pace’s department of biology, said in a prepared statement. “Our research shows that White Tea Extract can actually destroy in vitro the organisms that cause disease.”

“Study after study with tea extract proves that is had many healing properties. This is not an ‘old wives’ tale,’ it’s a fact,” Schiffenbauer added.

The study was presented May 25 at the American Society for Microbiology general meeting in New Orleans.

The researchers found that:

• The anti-bacterial and anti-viral effect of white tea is greater than that of green tea.
• The addition of white tea extract to several brands of toothpaste enhanced their anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.
• White tea extract had an anti-fungal effect on both Penicillium chrysogenum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• White tea extract may help inactivate bacteria, viruses and fungi that affect humans.

(Forbes HealthDayNews, May 2004)