Honey, that might not be ginseng in your iced tea

Perhaps it’s the oh-so-sweet honey in that popular green can of AriZona Iced Tea's green tea with ginseng and honey that’s giving drinkers that boost of energy and vitality the medicinal plant root ginseng promises.

Because it isn’t ginseng, asserts a lawsuit filed this month and made public in a news report on Newsday.com on Monday.

Two food laboratories tested the tea, finding that the beverage contains no "detectable" amount of expensive ginseng, according to a lawsuit filed in federal district court in Central Islip, New York, Newsday reported.

The plaintiffs, a consumer in Gloversville, New York, and one in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, are seeking class-action status to represent nationwide purchasers of the iced tea — marketed by the company as "America's best-selling green tea.” They want a jury trial and undetermined compensatory, statutory and punitive damages plus interest and legal fees, according to Newsday.

Meanwhile, officials with Woodbury, New York-based AriZona Iced Tea LLC, Beverage Marketing USA Inc. and their affiliated companies did not respond to a request for comment, according to the article.