Rooibos: Products and Benefits
Rooibos offers many products and benefits. Rooibos tea is an old South African favourite as a beverage served cold or over ice. It comes from the redbush plant, known scientifically as Aspalathus linearis, usually grown on the western coast of South Africa. Rooibos is an Afrikaans word and is a direct translation and means’ red bush’.
Rooibos does not necessarily contain loads of vitamins but does have a load of antioxidants, making it a tea with health benefits.
Health Benefits of Rooibos
Besides being virtually caffeine-free, the tea offers benefits far beyond refreshment, and it can improve your health. According to studies, the health benefits of tea range from protecting your teeth and your heart to helping prevent cancer.
Tea contains antioxidants, which work to keep the body young. These antioxidants are called flavonoids and are primarily responsible for tea’s health-boosting properties. Antioxidants also prevent oxidative damage to cells, which helps reduce a person’s risk of several types of cancer, including breast, bladder, skin, lung, colon and oesophagal.
The magic of rooibos lies in its abundance of antioxidants ( apparently 50 times more antioxidants than the revered green tea), the fact that it is caffeine-free, and that it contains zinc and natural alpha hydroxy acid (AHAs). The tea also includes other minerals like potassium, copper and calcium, making it that better. It’s no surprise that these properties are just as good for your outside as they are for your inside.
Drinking tea can also reduce the chances of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 25 per cent when three or four cups are consumed a day.
According to Healthline, Rooibos tea may benefit heart health by positively affecting blood pressure. It may also lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and raise “good” HDL cholesterol in those at risk of heart disease.
Much like green tea, Rooibos is considered to have the most health benefits of any tea. There are many types of ‘teas’. However, some are not what some cultures consider ‘true teas’. True teas are green tea, black tea and oolong tea. These are made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant.
However, herbal teas are not true but are made from dried fruits, flowers, spices, and herbs. These teas also hold health-promoting properties and have been used for hundreds of years.
These are:
Chamomile Tea (recognised for its calming effect and is frequently used as a sleep aid), Peppermint Tea, Ginger Tea, Hibiscus Tea, Echinacea Rooibos, Sage, Lemon Balm Tea.
Rooibos is consumed as a black tea, and many people add milk and sugar to make the tea sweeter and, to some, more creamy and enjoyable.
Skin
There are many benefits to adding Rooibos to your skincare routine, says African Extracts, a local brand that offers a range of Rooibos infused beauty products. These new anti-ageing products contain many natural ingredients, particularly the Bio-Active Rooibos.
It ensures that:
- Skin remains nourished and supple
- The skin has limited irritation and breakouts
- UV protection
The range includes an array of products such as gentle face cleansers, serums and hand creams, scrubs, and night moisturisers, all aimed at protecting your skin from the elements and preventing the signs of ageing.
– The antioxidants in Rooibos fight free radicals in the skin and repair sun and weather damage. Cream and lotion recipes that use Rooibos are anti-ageing agents.
– Antioxidants also soothe irritations and damage that has already occurred, like sunburn, eczema, or dry skin.
If your primary concern is skin breakouts, the AHAs and zinc will aid in treating and relieving acne or pimples.
– The AHAs are also a great exfoliator of older layers of skin cells. Exfoliation will reveal the newer, healthier cells.
– One of the more astounding benefits is that recent studies have shown that rooibos extract effectively prevents precancerous skin cells from replicating.
Heart Health
Rooibos tea can potentially head off some serious heart issues, says Rooibos Rocks. Several small scale studies have indicated that Rooibos tea could help with Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme(Ace) inhibition. This enzyme has been shown to play a role in cardiovascular disease – you don’t want too much of it in your system. Research suggests that drinking Rooibos tea can help with ACE inhibition 30 minutes after you’ve consumed it and that there’s also a possible positive effect on blood pressure. However, these initial studies are small, and more research is needed to confirm these effects.
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