Rooibos Tea: An Herbal Wonder

Years ago while I was learning about teas and herbals, I decided to look for a tea I could drink on a daily basis.  I am sensitive to caffeine so regular tea wasn't going to work even though I love it.  I tried lots and lots of herbals as well and couldn't find one that gave me the feeling of black/green teas.  I needed to find something that would take the place of regular tea without any caffeine at all in it and that's where rooibos (roy-boss) came in.  

A South African native plant, rooibos has been consumed there for generations by the native people and is served everywhere as the tea of choice. First noticed by Europeans in the late 1700's, it slowly came to other countries as it was considered a black tea alternative as far as taste.  I find rooibos to have a slightly sweet,sometimes fruity, earthy, full bodied flavor.  It's red in color and gives me the sense of drinking a cup of black tea without any of tea's bitter notes.

Rooibos Bush (Photo Source)
 

Red rooibos is made by bruising the needle-like leaves and then allowing them to ferment.  Green rooibos is not oxidized and costs a bit more because it's more labor intensive to produce.  Green tea has more of an herbal, grass-like taste.  Both teas are often paired with other flavors to bring out the best of its flavors.  I enjoy red rooibos with vanilla and apple cinnamon, which really brings out the herbs natural fruity flavors.

This is one herb that can be steeped for long periods of time without any bitterness due to rooibos' lack of tannins.  I often leave my tea basket of leaves steep for an hour with no adverse effects of flavor.  I like to extract all of its medicinal benefits but steeping five minutes in boiling water is the normal way to prepare this tea.  Unlike many herbals, red rooibos can be served with cream and sweetened as desired. 

                                           So what are the health benefits of rooibos?

First of all, I like to look at rooibos as a nice tonic type of herb.  In other words, it's okay to use long term and safe for kids. This is important as I was looking for something mild enough to drink on a daily basis.  So, most of its benefits are long term and for helpful for your overall health.

In South Africa it's traditional uses are for colic, allergies, asthma and dermatological conditions.

                                                       Rooibos Tea and Antioxidants

It also contains anti-oxidants. Some articles claim that it contains more than green tea, and others the same. So based off of that information, I would say it's safe to say it's a good alternative to green tea.  Its two comparatively rare antioxidants, aspalathin and nothofagin, each have different benefits. Aspalathin helps to modify hormones in the body, which in turn help to reduce stress and metabolic disorders. Nothofagin demonstrates significant anti-inflammatory activity.  Both antioxidants may help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and are both good for the nerves.

 Helpful against Diabetes?

Both of these antioxidants also help to regulate blood sugar which in turn can help to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and excessive fat production.  This would be an excellent beverage to drink along with a low carb/fat diet to help bring maximum benefits to your body against any sugar problems.

                                                  Helpful against Cardiovascular Problems?

 Rooibos also contains the super-antioxidant compound quercetin, noted for promoting heart health.  Quercetin acts as an anti-inflammatory which helps against heart disease and cancer.

In one study where 6 cups were consumed daily, some of the results were that it lowered levels of LDL (lousy cholesterol) and raised HDL (healthy cholesterol) making it very valuable for overall heart health.

Rooibos is really a great herbal beverage to add to your tea locker.  I have found that red rooibos is generally less expensive (in loose, bulk quantity) and is a great drink to enjoy hot or iced.  You'll often find it in herbal blends with chai or vanilla, both great flavors to drink with rooibos.  Drinking it in a blend is also a great way to get introduced to its unique flavor.  I like to buy plain rooibos and add it to our Summer Tea Blend to boost its already great health qualities.  You can mix plain rooibos with fruity herbal teas to find what flavors you like best.

I drink about 24 oz of rooibos a day.  Usually red but sometimes green in a blend.  I really enjoy it and not only am I getting hydrated but also am receiving its many amazing health attributes. I love the idea of drinking something that I not only enjoy, but it's great for me too.

Hope you were able to learn something new about this fabulous African herbal!  Blessings!

Do you enjoy rooibos?  What's your favorite flavor?

Resources:

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/27/red-tea-even-better-for-than-green-tea/ 
http://www.healthyfellow.com/230/rooibos-and-diabetes/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooibos
http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/red-rooibos-tea-health-benefits#axzz2OgZDp8eJ

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The Health Benefits of Tea

 What's one beverage that costs pennies per cup and is full of antioxidants and health benefits as well?   You can find it everywhere and tastes great?  Look no further than your simple glass of tea...black, green, or somewhere in between, this centuries old plant has been providing leaves of wholesome goodness for past and present civilizations.  It tends to get lost in our coffee drinking culture (I love coffee myself) but will hopefully be coming into the limelight even more as we discover just what a gem of an herbal this is!

Tea is not a wonder cure-all like many health claims out there try to boast.  It has been said to help everything from a cold to cancer.  And while most studies are very promising about its benefits, you'll find conflicting studies as well.  So I wanted to wade through all the information and get an understanding how tea can be a beneficial tonic, not a miracle cure, but a valuable drink to include in your daily diet. 

 "Camellia Sinensis."  Sounds like a character from the Lord of the Rings, but this is the latin name of the tea plant which is primarily grown in the eastern regions of the world including China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka (known for it's Ceylon tea) and Taiwan.  It's also grown in other locations, but these locations are called the "Big Five" because of their exceptional quality.

The tea plant is actually a cultivated evergreen which is usually trimmed to keep it's height below 6 feet.  If left to grow wild, it can reach up to 30 feet.

All forms of tea, black, green, oolong, yellow (not common in the U.S.) and white are all the same leaf.  They are processed differently.  Black tea is made by allowing the leaves to ferment which causes them to turn dark, while oolongs are partially fermented and greens are not fermented at all.  White teas are generally leaves picked at earlier times in the season and therefore have a much lighter flavor and color.  They are not fermented either.  

"Camellia Sinensis" (Photo Source)

You've probably seen some articles out there about the tea plant and the benefits they have for your health.  I've read them too and even though the claims do vary, tea is definitely an undervalued herbal health tool.  It's also economical and delicious...and that makes for a great natural health remedy.

Before we start, let's understand that all tea varieties, black, green, oolong and white, all have tremendous health benefits.  Green tea is supposed to offer a few more of it's own because the tea leaves haven't been oxidized or fermented like black tea.  However, if you only ever drink black tea, know that these health benefits are still very much present in the tea leaves.

1. All forms of tea are rich in flavonoids and  the antioxidant, "polyphenols".  They have been shown to have 10 times the amount of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables. What do these antioxidants do?  Basically, they look for cell-damaging free radicals and detoxify them.
What does this mean for our health?  "These antioxidants block DNA damage associated with tobacco and other toxic chemicals."1  This means that tea can help prevent against certain cancers in our body!  

What else does this mean? They also help protect against cardiovascular disease.  "The detoxifying effect of these antioxidants protects cells from free radicals, the damage that can lead to blood clot formation and atherosclerosis."2

"The bulk of research shows that regular tea drinkers, people who drink two cups or more a day, have less heart disease and stroke, lower total and LDL (often called "bad") cholesterol, and that they recover from heart attacks faster." 3

 This includes both black and green.  This was news for me as green tea is always being touted as the better tea of the two.  But according to an interview by WebMD with John Weisburger, PhD, senior researcher at the Institute for Cancer Prevention in Valhalla, N.Y., "In my lab, we found that green and black tea had identical amounts of polyphenols,"4  Which means drink whichever tea you like, they are all found to have lots of antioxidants.

2. Tea helps you to be  in a state of "calm alertness." 

Because the caffeine in tea is water soluble, the body is able to digest it easily and pass through your system quickly.  This is unlike coffee where the caffeine is not water soluble and stays in your body much longer leading to sleeplessness at night if consumed late.  Yes, there is less caffeine in tea as well so you can drink more of it without too much caffeine consumption if you're trying to avoid it.  (Info from "A Guide To Tea" by Chris Cason)

A good strong cup of English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast black tea in the morning is a good pick-me up if you need to wake up but won't stay too long in your body if coffee gives you "the jitters."

3. Tea is also reputed to help with digestive complaints. 

It seems tea is an old home remedy to help out with some of these mild digestive orders. It's supposed to be helpful in easing Irritable Bowel Syndrome because all teas contain some anti-inflammatory properties.  So, if the digestive disorder has to do with inflammation, tea having some "calming" properties should be of help. 

4. Green tea is found to contain fluoride and is helpful in preventing cavities.  

 "Green tea contains compounds that appear to control inflammation and fight bacterial infection." 5
"Green tea’s anti-inflammatory powers seem to help control periodontal (gum) disease. A Japanese survey of almost 1,000 men found that those who drank green tea regularly had healthier gums than those who didn’t. A German study found similar positive results in people who were asked to chew candies containing green-tea extracts." 6
 So, have your kiddos brush their teeth AFTER they drink their favorite cup of tea...decaf of course!

Some Important Things to Consider: 

1. The health studies for tea seem to be varied and sometimes contradictory.  But all in all, tea has been consumed by the Chinese and Japanese for centuries and the civilizations have acknowledged the benefits of tea through their own usage.  It sometimes takes science to catch up with such years of experience.

2. Tea is not meant to be a cure-all.  When drinking it for your health, an overall healthful lifestyle needs to be lived.  Think of it as a tonic instead of a cure but a great beverage that contains some vitamins and healthful properties that can be good for your body.  All of teas benefits are not yet understood, so drinking it is a great alternative to the sugar and chemical filled drinks out there, especially when dining out. 

3. Tea is a great beverage to introduce to your children.  In the age of sugar laden sodas and energy drinks, tea is a great alternative.  Our kids drank herbal teas out of the their bottles and sippy cups and soon were introduced to mild green teas as they grew older.  This has helped them to stay away from these other harmful drinks.   With so many different varieties of tea, they each have their own favorites and have introduced their friends to gourmet tea as well. (They will drink soda, but they do a great job in limiting how much they drink and they don't get it very often.)

4. Tea bags contain these aforementioned health benefits but are usually made from what they call "tea dust" in the industry.  If you enjoy tea, you may want to explore the wonderful world of loose leaf tea as the flavors will have you coming back for more! 

5. Tea sold in bottles is usually made from a concentrate and LOTS of syrup.  I've tried them and basically they are (in my own opinion) not tea, but sugar water.  They do NOT have the same health benefits as brewed tea.  Our Subway restaurants carry brewed tea that is unsweetened as well.  This way you can control how much sugar you put in your own tea.

This is just a little bit of information of the benefits of tea.  New studies come out daily showing how helpful they can be.  Tea may not be a wonder cure-all, but it's definitely a great beverage to drink on a daily basis.  Served hot or cold, it's delicious and I know it's helping my body and not harming it.  

What's your favorite tea to drink?  Blessings!


Interested in more posts on tea?  Check out these other links...Three Reasons Why to Buy Bulk Loose Tea and Reviewing My Favorite Tea Steepers

Resources: 

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/antioxidants-in-green-and-black-tea(1,2,3,4)
http://www.teabenefits.com/
http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/plants/theaceae/camellia_sinensis.htm
http://qtradeteas.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/where-does-tea-come-from/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/463257-does-tea-help-digestion/ 
http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/oral-health/5-ways-green-tea-is-good-for-your-oral-health  5, 6



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