The health benefits of rooibos tea are mainly due to its antioxidant activities. Discover how the delightful herbal beverage can enhance your health in a flavorful way.
The health benefits of rooibos tea or red tea are often underestimated. Rooibos tea might not be as famous as regular teas, but it’s getting some serious attention for its health benefits. They make this tea from those long needle-like leaves of the rooibos plant, and during fermentation, they turn all red, giving it this vibrant red hue and a sweet, earthy vibe. You can also find green rooibos tea, which is unfermented and has a grassier taste.
And here is the best part – the ideal levels of antioxidants, enzymes, and plant compounds in rooibos tea provide immense health benefits. Let’s further explore the benefits of sipping a cup of rooibos tea and discover why it’s becoming a favorite among health-conscious individuals.
What Is Rooibos Tea?
Rooibos tea or red tea comes from the Aspalathus linearis plant that grows in South Africa. People make this herbal tea using rooibos tea leaves. It’s been popular in Southern Africa for ages, and now it’s becoming a trend worldwide.
The best thing is, it has this nice earthy flavor, and bright red color to add to its positives. It’s also caffeine-free, so if you’re not into regular caffeine intake, then this is a great alternative.
You can make this red tea like your regular black tea – just steep those leaves in hot water! This can be enjoyed plain, or get creative and make different types of rooibos tea by adding some milk, lemon, honey, or sugar for extra yumminess. You can even have them as iced tea or lattes.
And here comes the health bonus – The antioxidants in rooibos tea are good for your health. Some animal studies even hint at more benefits, but more human-based research is needed. So, here let’s find out the potential health benefits of sipping a cup of rooibos tea.
How to Make the Perfect Rooibos Tea?
Rooibos tea has got this smooth taste, a kind of earthy and nutty flavor, but not too overpowering. It’s super light and easy to sip on. You can even customize the tea by adding other ingredients. To make a perfect cup of rooibos tea for one person, you’ll need
- 1 ½ teaspoons of ground rooibos tea
- 1 cup of filtered water
Steps to Brew Your Rooibos Chai
- First, boil one cup of water until it reaches 100°C. Don’t forget to use some extra water to warm the teapot.
- Next, add the ground Rooibos tea to a teabag and place it in the teapot.
- Cover it up and let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Once it’s done, you can remove the teabag or strain the tea and pour it into your favorite cup.
Iced Tea!
If you’re in the mood for something cool and refreshing, you can also make iced rooibos tea.
- Just put the ground rooibos tea in teabags and add room-temperature water to a pitcher.
- Place the pitcher in the fridge, and let it chill for about 12 hours.
- Give it a good stir from time to time.
- After it’s nice and chilled, take out the teabags, pour the tea over some ice cubes, and enjoy a delightful glass of iced rooibos tea.
What Are The Health Benefits of Rooibos Tea?
Rooibos tea isn’t just tasty; it’s also loaded with good stuff like calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and alpha hydroxy acid (1). So as you enjoy this delicious drink, you’re giving your body a boost of vitamin C and powerful antioxidants like aspalathin, bringing you a bunch of health benefits. Let’s further explore the benefits of drinking rooibos tea.
10 Health Benefits of Rooibos Tea
1. Abundance of Antioxidants
Most of the potential benefits of rooibos tea are due to its antioxidant content. Antioxidants like aspalathin and quercetin in rooibos tea can fight off harmful free radicals. Thus these compounds can protect you from chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer by preventing radical damage (1), (2).
2. Caffeine-Free And Low in Tannins
Unlike black and green teas, rooibos is naturally caffeine-free, making it an excellent choice for those seeking an alternative without the jitters (3). Additionally, rooibos has lower tannin levels, meaning it won’t interfere with the absorption of iron and other nutrients as the other teas (4). This won’t affect iron levels either.
3. Potential Heart Health Support
Rooibos tea benefits your heart too. Studies suggest that it might help with blood pressure by blocking angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) (5). This enzyme indirectly raises blood pressure by making your blood vessels contract. So, blocking this will improve blood circulation and favors heart health. The aspalathin in rooibos can also help to prevent vascular inflammation in blood vessels, keeping the heart healthy and improving blood flow (6).
And that’s not all! It could also lower (LDL) bad cholesterol levels and raise the good ones (HDL cholesterol) in people at risk of heart disease (7).
4. Weight Loss Aid
Rooibos tea is a great choice if you’re watching your weight since it’s low in calories, with almost none when you don’t add milk or sugar. Some studies even say it can help with weight loss. It does this by increasing a hormone called leptin, which tells your brain you’re not as hungry and helps control how much you eat (8). Plus, it might speed up your metabolism and stop new fat cells from forming, which could be good for managing your weight (8).
5. Potential Cancer Prevention
Rooibos tea is packed with antioxidants that have been shown to combat cancer cells and hinder tumor growth (9). Additionally, the presence of quercetin and luteolin in rooibos tea may play a role in suppressing cancer cells, but more human studies are required to confirm these results (10).
6. Allergy Relief
One of the top benefits of drinking rooibos tea is its ability to provide allergy relief. Rooibos tea contains flavonols like quercetin and luteolin, which have the ability to block the release of histamines, a key factor in allergic reactions (11). This makes it effective in relieving allergy symptoms and acting as a natural antihistamine without causing drowsiness.
7. Pain Relief And Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Drinking rooibos tea is great because it has anti-inflammatory properties. The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory stuff in the tea can calm down inflammation and give relief to people dealing with aches and pains, especially if they have conditions like arthritis (12).
8. Potential Benefits for Diabetes
The immense benefits of rooibos red tea favor diabetic individuals too. Research on animals suggests that rooibos tea’s aspalathin might help with blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance, which could be helpful for people with type 2 diabetes. (13). Though more studies are needed, it’s an exciting possibility.
9. Improved Skin Appearance
The skin benefits of rooibos tea are due to the presence of antioxidants and minerals in them. The flavanols in rooibos tea act as antioxidants and help reduce wrinkles and fine lines (14). With zinc and superoxide dismutase, this tea also aids in treating skin conditions like eczema and acne while slowing down the aging process (15).
10. Simplifies Digestion
Rooibos tea is gaining recognition for its potential digestive benefits. It contains various nutrients with antispasmodic properties, which can help prevent stomach pains and discomfort. A study found that chemical compounds like quercetin, orientin, and vitexin in rooibos tea relax the digestive system and alleviate discomfort (1). Additionally, tannins present in rooibos tea may reduce symptoms of diarrhea.
Some say rooibos tea could be good for bone health by aiding in the formation of strong bones. But there’s not enough evidence yet to fully prove it. More research is needed to be sure.
Are There Any Side Effects of Rooibos Tea?
The potential benefits of rooibos tea make it a popular herbal beverage. It is also known for its pleasant taste and appealing color. If you’re considering adding this tea to your diet, it’s essential to be aware of any possible side effects and interactions it may have with medications. Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know.
1. Hormones
Rooibos tea has estrogenic activity, which can boost the production of the female hormone, estrogen (16). It’s usually okay for most people, but if you have breast cancer or other hormone-sensitive issues, it’s best to talk to your doctor before drinking rooibos tea.
2. Interactions with Medications
Just like many other teas, rooibos tea has natural compounds that could interact with some medications. So, it’s important to talk to your doctor before adding rooibos tea to your diet if you’re taking any meds. Remember, research is still happening, so it’s best not to replace prescribed medicines with rooibos tea without your doctor’s advice.
3. Liver Enzymes
Back in 2010, there was a case study where the daily consumption of rooibos tea showed higher liver enzymes (17). This can sometimes point to a liver problem. But it was just one case, and having rooibos tea in moderation as part of a balanced diet is usually fine for most people.
Overall, red rooibos tea is safe to drink with minimal side effects. It mostly affects certain groups or when large amounts of rooibos tea are consumed. Still, it’s good to be cautious about interactions with medications and talk to a doctor if you’re worried. Like anything else, it’s best to enjoy it in moderation, and we still need more research on humans to know all the details.
Conclusion
The health benefits of rooibos tea make it a popular drink in recent times. Having some rooibos tea in moderation isn’t just delicious but also a smart health choice. It helps boost your immune cells and also aids in digestion, making it a wonderful addition to your diet. With its antioxidants, it battles stress and inflammation, lowering the chances of heart attack and diabetes. The best thing is, it’s completely caffeine-free and suitable for most people. Just make sure to talk to your doctor if you have specific health conditions or taking medications. This way, you can enjoy its beneficial effects without worrying about its negatives.
ALSO READ: 16 Unexpected health benefits of sipping chamomile tea
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