Fluoride In Tea: Black, Green, Herbal (Search 357+ Teas) | 2026 Update

Fluoride in tea is one of the most forgotten and largest sources of fluoride. In fact, some teas can have 6 times the amount of fluoride when compared to tap water.

So to find out which teas are safest,

I tested 357+ teas for fluoride. Below you can search the results, learn how to avoid it and everything else about fluoride in tea.

Fluoride In Tea Basics

Teas such as green, black, white, and oolong are made from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant. Problem is this plant absorbs fluoride from the soil into its leaves.

On top of fluoride in tea being a large source, 94.9% of the fluoride in a cup of tea is directly available for the body to absorb.¹ A bad combo for your health when combined with other sources of fluoride in your life such as food, salt, coffee and even cookware.

Health Effects from Fluoride in Tea

Consuming the wrong tea will greatly increase your chances of developing fluoride toxicity.

For example, in recent years there has been a growing number of skeletal fluorosis cases in the USA among heavy tea drinkers.² A condition causing bone and joint pain that resembles arthritis.³

But the effects don’t stop there…

In fact fluoride exposure can lead to pineal gland calcification. This is where fluoride accumulates in the pineal gland, calcifies it (pictured above), and causes it to produce less melatonin. Which can result in poor sleep and a host of other health effects.

And if you’re spiritual or religious,

Fluoride is also known to “close” the “third eye” (pineal gland) which is said to be the seat of the soul and act as a connection to God.

How Does Fluoride Get Into Tea?

For a long time I thought ALL tea was healthy.

Now I’m sure tea was healthy many years ago, specifically before mass pollution.

For example, before the world’s air and soil was polluted, the tea plant would absorb all the healthy substances in its environment (getting the great reputation it has). But now, with soil and rain/ground water high in fluoride due to pollution, the tea plant unfortunately absorbs dangerously high levels of fluoride and many other toxins.

In addition, since soil quality varies from country to country and even within a country, it’s not as easy as telling you to stay away from tea grown in a specific part of the world.

3 Tips Using Fluoride In Tea Table

1) Use The Search Bar…

Use the search bar to look up a specific brand or flavor of tea.

2) Sort Fluoride Content In Tea From High or Low

By clicking on “Fluoride (ppm)” once, you’ll sort the fluoride content in tea from low to high. While if you click on it two times, the ranking of fluoride content will show from high to low.

3) Sort Teas By “Type”…

Clicking on “Type” will allow you to search through fluoride in tea based on the type of tea (black, green, herbal, oolong, pu-erh, rooibos, and white tea)

Fluoride In Tea Table (Search 357+ Teas) | 2026 Update

So if you can’t find a brand, reach out to me and I’ll do my best to get it tested for you. But most importantly, share this article with your friends and family by using the blue buttons found at the start or end of the article (most people have no clue there’s fluoride in tea).

Each tea was steeped for 5 min with 245 ml of filtered water*

6 Fluoride In Tea Mistakes

#1 Making tea with the wrong water

The biggest and most common mistake.

People use water from bad filters, bottled water, tap/well water.

All of the numbers you saw above for fluoride in tea were made with water with NO fluoride, so if you add more fluoride with the water you’re using… it’s just not a good idea. Even the World Health Organization says the maximum amount of fluoride you should drink is 1.5 mg.

So what type of water should you use?

Well you can use bottled water without fluoride (link to where you can search the fluoride levels of 318+ brands). Just make sure it’s low in fluoride. OR the more wallet-friendly and convenient option is using a fluoride water filter (link to my guide on choosing a water filter).

The only problem with water filters…

Is that many brands LIE about how well their filters work, especially when it comes to removing fluoride. So to avoid getting tricked, I can send you the test results of 41+ filters I tested. And all you have to do is enter your email below and I’ll send it to you right away.

This way you know which brands are worth your money.

For instance, everyone thinks reverse osmosis filters can remove fluoride but this depends on the quality of the filter… I’ve seen plenty of reverse osmosis systems that could only remove a fraction of fluoride but are advertised to remove close to 100%.

This is even worse with water filter pitchers but I’ll leave that for you to read.

#2 Ignoring the TYPE of tea

After testing 357+ teas it’s safe to say…

Not all teas are equal.

For example, if you look at the average amount of fluoride found in various types of teas. You’ll see that black tea ranks with the highest levels, while herbal tea is fluoride-free.

So if you want to play it safe and smart,

I’d stick to the types of teas that are known to accumulate low levels of fluoride and toxins in general. Also keep in mind, just because the average fluoride levels in black tea is 1.8 ppm. Many brands are well above that, reaching double or even triple the amount…

#3 Organic Does NOT mean LESS Fluoride in Tea

You may be thinking, if it’s organic it might mean less fluoride in tea?

But the truth is, it does not matter.

For example, organic green tea on average contains more fluoride than non-organic green tea. And to my surprise, out of all the green teas I tested – the one that contained the most fluoride was organic.

Now I’m not saying don’t buy organic.

Of course, organic teas will contain less toxins. But when it comes to fluoride, it’s not a factor.

#4 Highest Fluoride in Tea Levels

If you take a look at all 357+ teas tested for fluoride, the clear winner with the highest levels of fluoride was black tea. Out of the top 15 teas, 14 of them were black tea with the other one being green.

So if you’re trying to avoid the toxin we know as fluoride, black tea should be a strong pass.

#5 Fluoride Content = Quality Of Tea

Higher quality teas have lower levels of fluoride.

This is based off a study that showed tea with high levels of fluoride tend to contain lower amounts of antioxidants, amino acids and flavonoids⁴

For example, mature tea leaves have the lowest antioxidant levels and since they’ve been soaking up fluoride from the soil the longest, they also have the highest fluoride content. While young tea leaves have the most antioxidants and lowest levels of fluoride.

So overall, looking at how much fluoride a tea contains can be used as a good indicator of its quality – the more fluoride, the less antioxidants, and thus the lower the quality.

#6. Steeping Tea For Too Long?

After testing the 357+ teas, I was curious to see what would happen to fluoride levels if tea was steeped for an extra 5 minutes (10 minutes total).

So I tested 100 teas again.

After steeping teas for 10 minutes, fluoride content increased by an average of 12%. However this varied from tea to tea, with the highest increase reported at 60% and the lowest at 0%.

So yes, it’s true that the more you steep your tea, the more fluoride goes into your water. However, if you decide to steep your tea for less, you’ll also get less healthy substances.

A problem with a simple solution…

Get a quality and safe tea that you can steep for as long as you want. Like any herbal tea. But if you insist on drinking black, green or white tea. Make sure it’s one of the ones lower in fluoride AND you use water that has no fluoride, to minimize your risks.

Final Thoughts Fluoride in Tea

Most people have no clue tea can contain dangerously high levels of fluoride. With that being said, I’m happy to have been the first person to test so many teas and provide you this information. I’m not surprised another person or organization has not done such a thing before, as it takes 1000’s of dollars and hundreds of hours to do so.

Either way, it was a pleasure.

All I ask in return is for you to share this information with family and friends.

Cheers!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does green tea have fluoride?

Yes, green tea is a significant dietary source of fluoride. Of the 56 green teas I tested for fluoride, the average fluoride levels were 1.3 ppm which is close to the 1.0-1.5 ppm maximum level often allowed for bottled water. While the highest fluoride levels recorded were 3.2 ppm and the lowest at 0.7 ppm.

2. Does organic green tea contain fluoride?

Yes, even organic green tea contains fluoride. In fact, of the 56 green teas we tested, the non-organic greens teas averaged 1.27 ppm of fluoride. While the organic brands averaged 1.48 ppm of fluoride. So in this case, organic green tea contained more fluoride than non-organic. But results vary greatly, so best to individually look at each green tea.

3. Does chamomile tea have fluoride?

Chamomile tea does not contain fluoride. All 12 chamomile teas tested contained 0.0 ppm of fluoride. Which is a common theme for all herbal teas.

4. Does rooibos tea have fluoride?

Rooibos tea does not contain a significant amount of fluoride. Of the 10 rooibos teas tested for fluoride, 8 samples contained 0.0 ppm while 2 samples contained 0.1 ppm.

5. Does black tea have fluoride?

Yes, black tea is a significant dietary source of fluoride. Of the 88 black teas I tested for fluoride, the average fluoride levels were 1.8 ppm which is more than the 1.0-1.5 ppm maximum level often set for bottled water. While the highest fluoride levels recorded were 4.2 ppm and the lowest at 0.6 ppm.

6. I can’t find the answer to my question?

Feel free to message me using the contact buttons found in the author box below. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.

References

1. https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?journal=Turk+J+Chem&title=Determination+of+fluoride+in+various+samples+and+some+infusions+using+a+fluoride+selective+electrode&author=S+Tokal%C4%B1o%C4%9Flu&author=S+Kartal&author=U+Sahin&volume=28&publication_year=2004&pages=203-11&
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21593111
3. https://truthaboutfluoride.com/skeletal-fluorosis/
4. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8470993_Fluoride_Content_in_Tea_and_Its_Relationship_with_Tea_Quality
5. https://foodrevolution.org/blog/natural-flavors/
6. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(13)70278-3/fulltext