Q I have read that tea can contain fluoride, lowest in white tea, higher in green and highest in black, and so therefore it is best to drink white tea.

I have read that fluoride is generally toxic and is correlated with spinal stenosis, which I have in my neck.

So while your Pu-erh Tea looks promising, I wanted to know about the fluoride level in this tea.

SALLY Perryberg, OH

A Pu-erh is lower than black, green, and oolong, and may be as low as white. Fluorine is used in processing teas, especially those that use old tough leaves in which fluorine has accumulated, such as Bianxiao tea. On the other hand, Pu-erh is made from tender leaves and is quite unlikely to induce fluorosis, even if you drink a lot of it. Pu-erh has special properties that other teas do not.

  1. Cao J, Zhao Y, Liu JW. Safety evaluation and fluorine concentration of Pu’er brick tea and Bianxiao brick tea. Food Chem Toxicol 1998 Dec;36(12):1061-3.