The British Medical Journal on Friday published the case of female teenager who was diagnosed with hepatitis with no clear indication of how she got it. The doctors were finally able to trace the cause of the disease to a certain ingredient included in a Chinese green tea that she bought online.

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The BMJ Case Reports said that the green tea contains an ingredient known as Camellia sinensis, which caused her to develop hepatitis.

The unnamed teen was only described as a 16 years old female born in Yemen. She first came to her doctor complaining of pains in her stomach and joints. She also was nauseous and dizzy at the time of her visit.

The doctor's initial diagnosis was that she is suffering from a urinary tract infection. She was therefore given antibiotics.

However, her condition worsened over time that she needed to be confined to a hospital. Upon her admission, doctors immediately noticed that her skin and eyes had turned yellowish - a clear indication that she has jaundice.

Further examination showed that she had contracted hepatitis in which one's liver is inflamed.

Doctors questioned her if she had regularly consumed alcohol or any kind of drugs - legal or illegal. The teen was also asked is she had any recent blood transfusion or had taken a trip overseas. But the girl answered that she did none of those things.

During the questioning, the patient revealed that she had been regularly drinking a Chinese green tea that was bought online. The online ads said that tea could help her lose weight.

The teenager said that she had been drinking the tea at least three times a day for several months. She also admitted that she has no idea what ingredients were used to make the green tea since the words on the box is written in Chinese.

Her liver returned to normal after she stopped taking the tea and was also given the appropriate medicine to treat her hepatitis.

Medical researchers examined the Chinese green tea and discovered that one of the ingredients - Camellia sinensis - was the source of the hepatitis.

The investigators admit that green tea alone is quite safe and filled with antioxidants. However, some companies tend to add other ingredients, which may not be safe for human consumption.

TagsChinese green tea, hepatitis, inflamed liver, swelling liver, Camellia sinensis, green tea online, online tea, British Medical Journal, green tea ingridient, jaundice