Health Benefits Of Drinking Water From Copper Vessel

If one of your resolutions for 2019 is to drink more water or perhaps use less plastic, you might well be thinking about purchasing a reusable water bottle.

There's an ever-expanding array of options to choose from and some labels and websites suggest their bottles come with a wide variety of health benefits.

Take copper water bottles, a pricey option that can now be found at farmers' markets and fashionable online stores.

Ayurveda is now supported by several scientific studies. Storing water in a copper vessel creates a natural purification process. It can kill all the microorganisms, molds, fungi, algae, and bacteria, present in the water that could be harmful to the body and make the water perfectly fit for drinking. Besides, water stored in a copper vessel, preferably overnight or at least for four hours, acquires a certain quality from the copper. Copper is an essential trace mineral that is vital to human health. It has antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-inflammatory properties. It also helps neutralize toxins.

According to their sales pitches, storing drinking water in a copper vessel could improve your immune system, aid digestion, decrease wound healing times, and even boost your tan.

Unlike some nutritional elements, the body cannot synthesize copper, so you need to get it from dietary sources. The best dietary sources of copper include seafood, organ meats, whole grains, lentils, nuts, seeds, chocolate, cereals, potatoes, peas, and some dark green leafy vegetables. Drinking 2 to 3 glasses of water that has been stored in a copper vessel is another easy way to supply your body with enough copper. 

According to Ayurveda, drinking copper-enriched water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach helps balance all three doshas (Kapha, Vata, and Pitta). This also ensures the proper functioning of different organs and several metabolic processes.

Other claimed health benefits of copper water bottles include improved joint health, iron absorption, thyroid health, and better digestion. So, is there any truth to these claims about copper water bottles?


1. Helps the digestive system perform better

Copper has properties that help kill harmful bacteria and reduce inflammation within the stomach, making it a great remedy for ulcers, indigestion, and infections. Copper also helps cleanse and detox your stomach, regulates the working of your liver and kidneys, and proper elimination of waste and ensures the absorption of nutrients from food. "When water is stored in a copper container, the mineral gets leached into it. This copper leached in the water helps in breaking down of food particles in our and improves our digestion," suggests Bangalore-based Nutritionist, Dr. Anju Sood.

2. Helps heal wounds faster

Known for its immense anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties, copper is a great tool for healing wounds quickly. Apart from that, copper is also known to strengthen your immune system and aid in the production of new cells. But its healing properties don’t cease with helping the body externally; copper is also known to help wounds heal within the body, especially in the stomach.

3. Killing bacteria on contact

Aside from mystical bodily benefits, could there be any other advantages to using copper water containers?.

Copper does actually have very potent antibacterial properties. Now in hospitals, there are many successful trials where they replace touch surfaces — door handles, light switches — with copper or copper alloys.

If bacteria come into contact with the surface they die really rapidly. It's called contact killing.

The earliest recorded medical use of copper is from around 4,500 years ago, where it was described as being used to sterilize wounds and drinking water.

"Before we had antibiotics — before we even knew what bacteria were — we already knew that copper had this 'magical quality' that stopped diseases," says Assistant Professor Djoko.

"It was taken as copper salts. But they are highly toxic: if you drink a lot of them, it will destroy your kidneys and that's partially why we don't do that anymore. In terms of copper vessels though, that's still very common even today."

So could copper's 'contact killing' capacity mean storing water in it actually be beneficial in terms of preventing bacterial contamination?

Copper vessels are used in some areas without access to clean running water, where drinking water needs to be stored for long periods. This reduces the possibility of the liquid being contaminated with bacteria.

4. Beats arthritis and inflamed joints

Copper has very potent anti-inflammatory properties. This asset is especially great to relieve aches and pains caused due to inflamed joints – like in the case of arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Apart from that, copper also has bone and immune system strengthening properties, making it the perfect remedy for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

5. Beats anemia

The most amazing fact about copper is that it is required in most processes that occur in our bodies. Right from cell formation to aiding in the absorption of iron, copper is an essential mineral for the functioning of your body. This is one of the reasons that it also helps in keeping anemia at bay. An essential component in the entire process of absorbing and using iron present in the body, copper helps keep the levels of haeme (iron) up and regulates its flow in your blood vessels.