Rooibos Tea (pronounced Roy-boss) or Redbush is a smooth, caffeine-free herbal tea originating from Africa. Whilst it’s popularity in Britain has grown rapidly over the last few years, compared with other teas it is still relatively unknown.
Rooibos Tea for centuries indigenous Bushmen in the region harvested the leaves for use as herbal remedies to treat a variety of different ailments.
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Table of Contents
What is Rooibos Tea?
The 300-year-old rooibos (pronounced “Roy-boss”) plant is just a baby compared to the 1,000-plus-year-old Camellia sinensis plant that yields what we know as black and green tea.
Rooibos Tea is an herb native to South Africa that isn’t even a true “tea” at all. Rather, it’s a plant that when harvested and dried can be brewed into a reddish-brown herbal infusion dubbed “African red tea” or “red bush tea” by the tea industry.
What Are The Benefits Of Rooibos Tea?
Like most of the teas, Rooibos tea also has many health benefits.
The antioxidants found in it are great for fighting a variety of diseases like cancer and it protects healthy cells.
It is also known to have the ability to counter the physical negative effects of stress on the body and brain.
Polyphenols are organic chemicals with great antioxidant capabilities.
The polyphenols in Rooibos have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anti-mutagenic properties.
These phenolic compounds protect the body from free radicals which can cause cancer and heart disease.
Several research studies have proved the health benefits of rooibos in fighting heart disease and premature aging and in reducing the occurrence of cancer and diabetes.
Helps You Lose Weight
Rooibos tea also assists in weight loss. Now, this is good news for people looking to lose weight. This is one of the healthiest ways of losing weight. Although it may not be wholly responsible for overall weight loss, it does its small part that promotes weight loss.
Drink it for a good night’s sleep: Suffering from insomnia? Drink Rooibos tea for an easy, good night’s sleep. It is a caffeine-free drink that calms and relaxes you and helps you sleep by lowering your cortisol level, a hormone that makes you stressed.
Hypertension And Cardiovascular Health
Rooibos assists in combatting hypertension by reducing blood pressure in general and acts as a bronchodilator in relieving respiratory problems.
The tea supports the formation of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and reduces the ability of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) to form a layer on the inside of blood vessels (Joubert, Gelderblom & Louw: 2008).
A Beauty Drink
Rooibos tea not just tastes good; it also has many beauty benefits. Rooibos tea is known to fight certain skin conditions, such as Eczema, Sunburn, Rashes, Dry skin and Skin Irritation. You can either drink it or apply directly to your face.
Diabetes
The antioxidant aspalathin in Rooibos helps to balance blood sugar levels and improves the absorption of glucose.
For diabetics, this health property is beneficial in preventing blood sugar spikes and lows.
The polyphenol, aspalathin that is uniquely present only in Rooibos, helps to balance blood sugar levels and improve the absorption of glucose by the cells of the body, by breaking down insulin resistance in cells.
For diabetics, this health attribute is beneficial in preventing blood sugar highs and lows.
Healthy Skin And Bones
Rooibos contains hydroxy acid and zinc which provide relief for skin problems such as acne, sunburn, and eczema (Joubert et al: 2008).
Alpha-hydroxy acids can also reduce wrinkles and other symptoms of premature aging. The antioxidants in rooibos slow down the aging process and seek out free radicals that damage skin by making it vulnerable to disease and degeneration.
Rooibos Tea is also rich in manganese and calcium, which stimulate enzymes needed to build and repair bones.
Anti-Inflammatory
It is rich in polyphenols including aspalathin and nothofagin, which are two polyphenol antioxidants.
These antioxidants help protect the body by fighting free radicals or unstable cells that attack healthy cells to stabilize themselves.
The polyphenols in rooibos tea have anti-inflammatory properties, which assist in preventing heart-related illnesses.
Finally, the antiviral properties of polyphenols provide an added boost to the immune system, which helps protect the body from common colds, viruses, and the flu.
Side Effects Of Rooibos Tea
Daily consumption of this tea is also linked to increased anxiety.
Moreover, one may also suffer from a temporary increase, if consumed in excess.
However, the good thing about aspalathus linearis is that the increased irritability and anxiety due to its consumption decreases naturally after a few hours.
But one should remain cautious and not go for an overconsumption of this tea.
Hot Rooibos Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
• 1 Rooibos tea bag or 1 teaspoon of Rooibos loose leaf tea(in an infuser, or you can use an infuser mug.
• Boiling water.
• Optional – lemon, milk, sweeter (such as honey – but remember, Rooibos tea is naturally sweet, fruity, and aromatic, so you may not want to add any sweetener!)
How to Make?
1. Add the teabag or loose tea to your favorite cup.
2. Pour boiling water over.
3. Let your Rooibos tea steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Then, remove the tea bag or infuser.
4. Optional – Add extras (like honey or lemon) to taste, but take a sip first – you may find you love Rooibos just as it is!
