The Tulsi Plant Can Be Used To Remove Fluoride From Drinking Water
An exciting and new water treatment breakthrough has been announced
that will now make the removal of fluoride from the drinking water
supplies of the world’s poorest people more affordable than ever.
Researchers from Rajasthan University in
India have discovered that the Tulsi plant, also known as Holy Basil,
can be used to significantly reduce the amount of fluoride in drinking
water.
At present, the most reliable methods used to remove excessive
fluoride from drinking water are either too expensive or not suitable
for the environments where they are needed most.
The method discovered by researchers from Rajasthan University is
safe, cheap and readily available, making it an ideal alternative for
communities who can’t afford to use the more advanced techniques of
removing fluoride that are readily available in the West.
An experiment was conducted in the Yellareddyguda village of
Narketpally Mandal. The researchers soaked 75mg of Tulsi leaves in 100ml
of water that contained 7.4 parts per million of fluoride in the water.
After only soaking the Tulsi leaves for eight hours, it was
discovered that the level of fluoride in the water was reduced from 7.4
parts per million, to only 1.1 parts per million.
At present, the World Health Organization recommends that the safe level of fluoride in drinking water is between 0.5 to 1 parts per million.
The dangers of drinking water that contains high levels of fluoride
are well known. Some of the known side effects of drinking water that
contains fluoride are dental fluorosis, reduced intelligence in children and a damaged nervous system.
This new water treatment option could now provide the world’s poorest
people an opportunity to remove excessive fluoride from their drinking
water supplies.
However, more research is still needed to identify and validate the
effectiveness of using Tulasi leaves as a means of removing fluoride
from drinking water supplies.
Considering the cost-prohibitive nature of other more reliable water
treatment techniques, if the Tulsi plant is conclusively proven to be
effective in removing fluoride from drinking water, then we may witness a
revolution in water treatment, providing options to areas where none
currently exist.
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