Protective Effects of Herbal Tea on Histopathological Changes in Gastrointestinal Tract of Wistar Rats Exposed to Mercury

Mercury exposure poses a serious public health risk due to its widespread presence in the environment and its harmful effects on various organ systems, especially the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). This study investigates the protective effects of herbal tea, particularly ginger tea, on the histopathological changes in the GIT of Wistar rats that have been exposed to mercury. The experimental groups consisted of untreated controls, rats exposed to mercury (both low and high doses), and rats exposed to mercury that were treated with herbal tea. Histological analysis was conducted on GIT tissue samples stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) to evaluate any morphological and structural changes (Ademuyiwa et al., 2011). The results showed that exposure to mercury caused significant histopathological changes, such as villous atrophy, erosion of the epithelium, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and submucosal edema. In contrast, treatment with ginger tea notably improved these conditions, leading to better villous structure, decreased inflammatory cell presence, and restoration of the epithelial lining. These protective benefits are likely due to the strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of ginger tea, which help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation caused by mercury exposure (Sharma et al., 2021). This study highlights the potential of ginger tea as a natural and affordable treatment for alleviating mercury-induced gastrointestinal damage. Although the results highlight the effectiveness of herbal teas in reducing heavy metal toxicity, the level of protection provided did not fully offset the serious impacts of elevated mercury levels. Additional research is necessary to clarify the specific molecular mechanisms through which ginger tea offers protection and to identify the best dosages for therapeutic use in humans (Zhu et al., 2019).