Green tea has been praised for its health-giving properties for more than 4,000 years. Whether you want to support your mind, bones, heart, probiotics in your intestines, glucose metabolism, immunity, detoxification, a healthy weight—or all of the above, green tea can help.

But sometimes green tea can be toxic!

We’ve told you before about a woman whose fluoride levels skyrocketed after habitually drinking a pitcher of tea daily. She developed severe bone pain that was reversed by a fluoride-free diet, but all her teeth had become so brittle they had to be extracted. Tea leaves accumulate more of the toxin fluoride than any other edible plant, and the fluoride content in tea has increased dramatically over the last couple of decades due primarily to fluoride-containing pesticides. The problem is compounded when fluoridated water is used to brew the tea. To minimize fluoride, buy organically grown tea and brew it in purified water.

Tea plants also absorb lead more readily than other plants. Fortunately, according to Tod Cooperman, MD, at ConsumerLab.com, almost all of the lead stays in the tea leaves. So if you don’t swallow the leaves, your exposure will be minimal. Still, choosing a tea low in heavy metals like lead will be preferable.

Caffeine can be a problem for very sensitive people. Green tea contains about ¼ of the caffeine found in coffee and is balanced by the calming effects of theanine, normally producing a calm but energizing effect. But if you’re super-sensitive to caffeine, even green tea may make you feel jittery. But white tea could work for you. It’s really green tea using younger tea leaves, and it’s lower in caffeine. Steeping time also determines caffeine content. Steeping tea leaves 2-3 minutes produces about half the caffeine you’d get from steeping 5-10 minutes.

Finally, tea bags can be toxic! Those silky mesh teabags are actually made of plastic. Most people know not to use plastic containers in a microwave since hormone-disrupting chemicals can leach out into food. But what about pouring hot water over plastic teabags? According to Sonya Lunder, MPH, senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group, although no studies have been done, there’s every reason to be wary. She recommends avoiding tea bags except for occasional use. There are problems with some paper tea bags too; many are treated with epichlorohydrin, a compound linked to cancer, infertility and suppression of immune function! Instead of teabags, use loose tea with stainless steel, glass or ceramic infusers. A variety of beautiful glass cups with lids and infusers made from heat-resistant Borosilicate glass are available on the internet,