The Many Health Benefits Of Rooibos “Tea”

Rooibos “tea” is an herb that is also known as Red Bush tea.  The botanical name is Aspalathus linearis and this herbal tea contains no caffeine and is reputed to have many health benefits.  You can see some information on the Simpson and Vail Rooibos tea page on our website.

At Simpson and Vail, we make blends with Rooibos, which you can also view on our website.  Rooibos is a perfect herb to blend with – it has a slight woody, earthy taste that combines well with many other herbs and with tea, and it provides an excellent base for flavored blends.

To some people Rooibos is a new tea, but Rooibos has been enjoyed by many people for over a hundred years.  My parents were actually selling Rooibos in our New York City store prior to the mid 1980’s.  It was at that time that the US government placed economic sanctions on South Africa and we were unable to continue to obtain this herb.  But in the 1990’s when these sanctions were lifted, we were once again happy to be able to offer this delicious herbal brew.

Since the 1950’s researchers have been studying the health benefits of Rooibos and tests continue to be done to prove what we already have been hearing – Rooibos is good for you.   Our Rooibos connection in South Africa forwarded information on some recent studies that have been published, which I thought might be of interest.

Rooibos & Stress:

Feeling stressed out?   Rooibos may help!  Researchers at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa had findings published in The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.  You can view them here. In short, stress can contribute to many health problems for people, but Rooibos contains two flavonoids, aspalathin and nothofagin, that contribute to lowering cortisol (the “stress” hormone) levels.

Rooibos’ effects on vital organs:

Phytomedicine conducted a study in 2011 that showed that Rooibos had a positive effect on organs because it prevents oxidative damage in the blood, enhances the antioxidant glutathione, and, in general, improves the blood lipid profile.  This study also showed that Rooibos lowers bad cholesterol.  Note: The study did mention that these health benefits were tested when subjects drank at least 6 cups of Rooibos every day.

Phytomedicine also stated that Rooibos helped the liver by preventing the development of fatty liver disease.

Rooibos and cancer studies:

There have been many articles written over the last 10 years that have reported that Rooibos contains antioxidants.  These antioxidants may help to prevent or reduce the growth rate of cancer cells.  In our quest to find a cure for cancer, the studies with Rooibos continue in earnest.

Since all the studies conducted on Rooibos confirm that is is beneficial, future studies on this herb are guaranteed.  We are anxious to see what else can be proven about this tasty beverage!