Tea can help fight terror attack Chemical Found In Tea Can Counter Ricin, A Poison Used By Militants

London: A cup of tea could be a secret weapon to fight poison used in terror attacks if UK scientists are to be believed. 

    Academics at Cardiff University's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences discovered a chemical, polyphenol found in tea can deactivate ricin — a highly-toxic ingredient used in fatal terrorist attacks, the 'Daily Mail' reported. 
    Professor Les Baillie was quoted by the paper as saying: "We already knew that tea had the ability to inhibit anthrax — as long as it is black tea with no milk. Our new findings suggest that if the security services want tocounter the threat of ricin, they may find the answer in their morning cup of tea." 
    Since the First World War ricin has had a gruesome reputation as a bioweapon. A tiny amount of ricin after getting into the bloodstream can kill a person within two to three days. 
    And it comes from the humble castor oil bean, a powerful laxative, used medicinally for centuries, that is available in many health food shops and online. 
    Ricin is used in an arsenal of terrorist weapons, and has already been at the centre of a number of attempted terrorist attacks in the US, the report said. 
    The new discovery follows on from research done by Cardiff scientists which showed chemicals in English breakfast tea known as polyphenols were able to kill bacillus anthracis, the organism which causes anthrax and was used in the 2001 US anthrax mail attacks. 
    The new discovery follows on from reserach done by Cardiff scientists which showed tea has an unexpected array of talents outside the morning cuppa. 
    Professor Baillie said: "These toxins, such as ricin, have been shown to have been used by nasty people, and nasty countries, to do nasty things." PTI

SECRET WEAPON