It has long been known that green tea deters food poisoning and has the ability to kill bacteria. Consumption of strong green tea is often recommended as a treatment for diarrhea. Dr. Y. Hara has shown in his research that green tea catechin is a powerful sterilizing agent for many types of bacteria that cause food poisoning. He found that a Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC ppm) of catechin, able to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, clostridium peifringens, Bacillus cereus, Plesiomonas shigelloides, Aeromonas sobria and Clostridium botulimum, is present in green tea.

In addition to this evidence, Prof. Shimamura has reported that green tea is a strong sterilizer for cholera Vibrio and has a strong anti toxic effect on toxins produced by bacteria other than cholera. These results, indicating the antibacterial function of green tea catechin, suggest its effectiveness in preventing food poisoning. Y. Hara and T. Ishibami, Nippon Shokuhin Kogyo Gakkaishi, (1989). Shimamura et al., Japan f Bacteriol. (1989).

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