Rooibos tea is becoming popular because of its delicious taste and health benefits.
This tea has been used by South Africans for centuries and now it has become a favorite drink all over the world.
Rooibos tea has a strong, caffeine-free flavor and can substitute for black tea and green tea.
Moreover, supporters prefer this tea because it offers potential health benefits.
Many people believe that the antioxidants of rooibos tea can fight cancer, heart disease and stroke.
However, how much is true in these statements?
This article will introduce rooibos tea and the top 5 health benefits, as well as its potential side effects.
What is rooibos tea?
Rooibos tea is also called pink tea.
The material for making this tea is leaves from shrubs with a scientific name Aspalathus linearis , usually grown on the west coast of South Africa .
Pictures of rooibos leaves:
Traditional rooibos tea is made by fermenting leaves until they turn reddish brown.
Fresh rooibos leaves are also available. Fresh leaves seem more expensive and have a richer flavor of grass than traditional tea flavor .
In addition, fresh leaves contain higher levels of antioxidants than traditional tea roses .
Rooibos tea often drinks in the same way as black tea. Some people like more milk and Street .
Recently, iced tea, espresso, latte and cappuccino made from this tea have been introduced in some countries.
Unlike some ideas, rooibos tea does not provide many vitamins or minerals, except copper and fluoride .
However, it contains a lot of powerful antioxidants that provide some health benefits.
Conclude: Rooibos tea is a traditional beverage made of shrub leaves native to South Africa. This tea is drunk like black tea and contains a lot of antioxidants.
1. Rooibos tea has benefits that black tea and green tea do not have
Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in both black tea and green tea.
Consuming a moderate amount of caffeine is generally not harmful.
It may even be beneficial for exercise, concentration and mood .
However, overuse can lead to heart palpitations, anxiety, insomnia and headaches . Therefore, some people have very limited use of caffeine.
Because rooibos tea does not contain caffeine, this is a great alternative to black tea or green tea .
Another advantage is that rooibos tea has a concentration lower than black tea and regular green tea.
Tannin is a natural compound found in green and black tea. This substance is considered harmful because it affects the absorption of some nutrients such as iron.
Finally, unlike black tea and green tea, rooibos pink tea does not contain oxalic acid.
Consuming a large amount of oxalic acid may increase the risk of kidney stones. So this is a very good tea for anyone with kidney problems.
Conclude: Compared to black tea and regular green tea, rooibos does not contain caffeine, tannin and oxalic acid.
2. Contains many healthy antioxidants
Rooibos tea is commonly used in part because of its high levels of healthy antioxidants and .
These substances can help protect cells from injury .
Long-term use of these substances may help reduce the risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer .
There is some evidence that drinking rooibos tea may increase the level of oxidation in the body.
However, all recorded increases in oxidation levels are very small and do not last too long.
A study of 15 people showed that blood levels of antioxidants increased by 2.9% when these people drank rooibos pink tea and increased 6.6% when drinking green teas.
This increase lasts 5 hours after participants take 17 oz (500 ml) of tea made from 750 mg of rooibos tea leaves .
However, another study of 12 healthy men found that drinking rooibos tea did not affect blood oxidation levels compared to regular tea .
This may be because the antioxidants in rooibos exist in the body for a long time or have poor absorption .
Conclude: Rooibos tea contains many healthy antioxidants. However, antioxidants may be unstable or not absorbed effectively into the body.
3. Rooibos tea is beneficial for people at risk of heart disease
Antioxidants found in this tea can support cardiovascular health .
These benefits can occur in different ways .
Firstly, drinking rooibos tea can affect blood pressure by inhibiting its activity (ACE) .
ACE is an indirect substance that raises blood pressure by constricting blood vessels.
A study of 17 people has shown that drinking rooibos tea may inhibit ACE activity in the next 30-60 minutes .
However, this does not mean that rooibos tea can cause changes in blood pressure.
There is promising evidence that rooibos tea can improve cholesterol levels.
A study of the effects of rooibos on 40 overweight men and women has a higher risk of heart disease.
Researchers found that drinking six cups of rooibos daily for 6 weeks could reduce harmful LDL cholesterol.
The study also showed an increase in beneficial HDL cholesterol .
However, rooibos does not have the same effect for healthy people.
Keeping healthy cholesterol levels helps protect against heart-related diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
Conclude: Rooibos tea can be beneficial for cardiovascular health by positively affecting blood pressure. The tea may also reduce harmful cholesterol and increase good cholesterol in people at risk for heart disease.
4. Some antioxidants in rooibos tea may reduce the risk of cancer
Test tubes show quercetin and antioxidants Rooibos tea can kill cancer cells and prevent tumor growth .
However, the content of quercetin in a cup of tea is quite small.
Therefore, it is still unclear whether the levels of antioxidants in tea are sufficient and if they are absorbed fully, it can be effective for health.
We need more human studies to have strong evidence that rooibos tea can prevent the development of cancer.
Conclude: Some antioxidants in rooibos tea have been shown to kill cancer cells and prevent tumor growth. However, there has not been any entry on the person to be done.
5. Rooibos tea compound may benefit patients with type 2 diabetes
Few people know that rooibos tea is one of the natural sources of antioxidant aspalathin. Animal studies show that aspalathin may work against diabetes .
A study in mice with type 2 diabetes showed that aspalathin helped balance blood sugar and reduce insulin resistance. This is a promising information for people with or at risk for type 2 diabetes .
However, we still need to do a lot of research on humans to confirm this benefit.
Conclude: Animal studies show that specific antioxidants in rooibos tea can help balance blood sugar and improve insulin resistance. However, human studies have not yet been conducted.
Other potential benefits?
There are many health claims related to rooibos tea. However, many of them are not scientifically proven:
- Bone health: Evidence related to the use of rooibos may improve bone health very little. Furthermore, studies focusing on rooibos tea are also rare .
- Improving the digestive system: This tea is often introduced as a way to improve digestive problems. However, there is not much evidence of improvement.
- Other benefits: Although there are some claims about the effectiveness of rooibos tea, there is no strong evidence to support this tea's insomnia, allergy, headache or abdominal pain.
Of course, lack of evidence does not mean that these are not true, only the effects have not been included in the study.
Conclude: Currently there is no evidence that there is evidence that rooibos tea improves bone health, digestion, insomnia, allergies, headaches or abdominal pain.
Does rooibos tea cause any side effects?
Overall this is safe tea.
Although very rare, there are still side effects.
A case study shows that drinking a large amount of daily rooibos tea can increase liver enzymes causing liver problems. However, there is only one such case .
Some tea compounds have estrogenic activity, which means they can stimulate estrogen-producing female hormones .
That's why some people think that people with hormone sensitivity, such as breast cancer, should avoid drinking this tea.
However, this effect is very light and must consume a very large amount of this situation to occur.
Conclude: Rooibos tea is generally very safe and negative side effects rarely occur.
Things to remember
Rooibos tea is a healthy and delicious drink.
This tea does not contain caffeine, tannin and is rich in antioxidants, which can bring many health benefits.
However, health claims related to rooibos tea are often not based on any solid evidence.
It is still unclear whether the benefits of rooibos tea in experiments and animal studies really affect human health.
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