Top 10 Health benefits of Rooibos Tea

The word or term Rooibos – roy-bos is an African term for “red bush” which is part of the legume family of plants that grows in South Africa. Used to make herbal tea Rooibos is sometimes called bush tea, redbush tea, depending where you are in the world. Rooibos is very popular in South Africa.  Limited in growth to a specific area in the Western Cape area of South Africa, Rooibos tea’s popularity has grown rapidly throughout the world for its many health benefits.

While Rooibos Tea is not really tea as we know it but it is instead made form rooibos leaves that have been oxidized which in turn is called Rooibos Tea. Many people add lemon, honey, or sugar and serve it hot or cold. Some have even made espresso with it from concentrated rooibos as well. The reason this drink has grown so rapidly in popularity over the past several years is that it has become something of a health craze. Some of the health benefits reported by users of Rooibos Tea would be as follows:

Health benefits of Rooibos Tea

Rooibos Tea is high in Antioxidants – Rooibos tea, like regular tea, is very high in antioxidants.  Antioxidants are proven to help with many ailments in the body. The antioxidants have been shown to raise the activity of carcinogen-detoxifying enzymes along with protecting cell proteins, DNA, and cell fats. Being caffeine free makes it an ideal choice of tea that is high in antioxidants giving it an advantage over black or green tea drinks.

Rooibos Tea can help fight HIV – Rooibos tea has been shown to help with a specific antigen in the blood that is called interleukin-2.  This tea drink has been proven to help with patients who have shown a severe defect in TH1 immune like found in AIDS, cancer, and other deadly infections. Rooibos tea was also shown to be helpful with patients who were diagnosed with HIV where green tea didn’t show the same positive results.

Rooibos Tea can be used for respiratory problems – Used as a therapeutic ailment for those suffering from respiratory problems when the use of Rooibos tea was used on rats it was shown to be both an antispasmodic and bronchodilator. Rooibos tea has long been used for both gastrointestinal problems along with respiratory problems as the flavonoid chrysoeriol was what seemed to help with the antispasmodic and bronchodilator effects.

Rooibos Tea can be used for liver disease – When studied in rats, Rooibos tea was shown to help in liver tissue renewal after long uses. For rats that received only water the results were not as promising. The rats that received the rooibos tea showed lower tissue malondialdehyde levels and less fibrotic tissue in their liver. The study caused the authors to recommend that rooibos tea would be a positive use for therapy of liver disease.

Rooibos Tea’s cardiovascular benefits – Rooibos is shown to help with patients with high blood pressure. The effects on both vasoconstriction and vasodilation studies show that this tea has cardiovascular benefits. Previous studies only showed green tea or black tea to have these effects but now it is shown that Rooibos tea does also. Rooibos tea was also shown to help with mice that had type two diabetes.

Rooibos Tea and brain health – Rooibos tea could help prevent the damaging aging process that happens in the human brain. When rats were given Rooibos tea in a study it was found that they had significantly less aging damage than rats that were given only water to drink. In some studies the results showed that rats that were 24 months of age had the same brain age as rats only 5 weeks of age when given rooibos tea for a majority of their life.

Rooibos Tea and blood pressure – Rooibos tea has been shown to help reduce high pressure and control it in healthy people. It can also help encourage your immune system allowing your body to fight off diseases in an effective manner.

Rooibos Tea and cancer – The antioxidants found in rooibos tea shows great results for patients who are fighting with cancer, giving them great hope to allow the other therapy and treatments they are receiving to take better to their body. Being able to help increase the growth of cell proteins, DNA, and other important elements in the body Rooibos tea has proven benefits for cancer patients.

Rooibos Tea and dental health – With strong levels of fluoride, manganese, and calcium, Rooibos tea helps promote great bone growth which will help keep teeth nice and strong. It is also great for patients who have had or are considering dental implants.

Rooibos Tea and stomach ailment – Shown to help with many different stomach issues and ailments from stomach cramps to colic, rooibos tea is sometimes referred to as mother’s miracle. Mixing it with milk has long been used to help babies who are suffering from stomach pain and colic so they can sleep better and easier.

Researchers are continuing to find more and more health benefit possibilities from drinking Rooibos Tea.  As each day passes it is absolutely amazing all the benefits that are being discovered leading Rooibos Tea to be called by many in the health care industry the new wonder tea, offering some of the same health aids as white and green teas minus the caffeine and other nuances that come along with white and green tea. As the exploration of rooibos continues you should consider trying for yourself. Try this nutty, sweet flavored tea drink to see if you too could benefit from its natural medical powers.