Earl Grey tea has an ingredient which could be effective in reducing cholesterol, reported Newsmax Health in reference to the Daily Mail.

Lab researchers at Italy's University of Calabria reported that bergamot, which gives Earl Grey its distinctive taste and aroma, appears to have the same effect on proteins as statins, the common cholesterol medicine.

They published their findings in the Journal of Functional Foods. The researchers experimented with proteins that cause heart disease and cholesterol. They found that bergamot contains HMGF enzymes, or hydroxy methyl glutaryl flavonones, and that when applied to bad cholesterol had the same result as statins.

The researchers reported that bergamot reduced levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, and hiked levels of HDL, or good cholesterol.

Bergamot is a citrus fruit extract that has long been used as a folk remedy. The tea is named after Charles, the second Earl Grey, who was an architect of Britain's 1832 electoral reform act which increased the number of adult men allowed to vote.