CLAIM: 

A homemade tea can be used to detox lungs

FACT: 

This is not true. Lungs cannot be detoxed by tea

The First Check team came across a reel on Instagram with a claim that a "tea" can detox one's lungs. Posted by @vaidyajayashreed,  with 153,000 followers, the video has over 13.5 million views, 439,000 likes, and 10 lakh shares. 

The text of the video goes: "Even a chain smokers' lung or people who are smoking throughout the day. Their lungs are so spoiled. Even those lungs can be repaired by this lung detox tea. here is the simple recipe -

1 1/2 water

2 inches ginger

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 pinches of pepper

and a small size of Cinnamon

Boil it well, bring it down to one cup, filter and drink it hot. This will see that your lungs are protected. This detox tea will definitely help your lungs, but you must stop smoking.  You know smoking is very bad for your health and it will lead to cancer."

What is the fact?

First Check spoke with noted pulmonologist Dr GC Khilnani, a member of the WHO Advisory Group on Global Air Pollution and Health, on the issue.

 "I don't know and I don't think that any home remedies work, but psychology is a big thing. Subjective feelings can be there. So (a sense of) well-being by doing something that you believe in," he said.

When asked if a lung detox is scientifically possible, his answer was a clear no.

"No, such a thing is not possible. The only thing to do against pollution is to have a healthy lifestyle and prevent exposure to bad air going into your lungs. Once it goes into the lungs it will have a negative impact. For some people it will cause asthma, for others it will cause chest tightness,” Dr Khilnani said. 

“Majority all of us have soreness in the throat, running nose, headache, and sleep disturbance. some feeling of unwellness," he added.

Also read: Fact-check: Juice hacks on Instagram can’t fix asthma, detox lungs - First Check

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