Rooibos tea health benefits

Here are a few suggestions on how to get even more out of Rooibos tea. Its natural sweetness makes it the perfect base ingredient for many extraordinary drinks.

Rooibos Shake
2 cups hot rooibos tea
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
2 table spoons of lemon juice
1 1/4 cups of sparkling lemon juice

Directions: Combine rooibos with the ice cream and beat well. Add lemon juice. Pour into glasses and add the sparkling lemon juice.

South African Punch
4 cups of rooibos tea
1 cup of sugar
4 cups orange juice
4 cups apple juice
3 cups spring water
4 cups ginger ale

Directions: Dissolve the sugar in the Rooibos tea. Combine the remaining liquids. Garnish with lemon slices.

Red Vanilla Latte
1 teaspoon Rooibos tea extract
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Sugar
20 oz. condensed milk
10 ice cubes

Directions: Stir Rooibos and vanilla extract in milk well. Blend the ice. Add the other ingredients to the ice and mix in the blender for 30 seconds.
Makes one quart or four 8 oz. glasses. Top each glass with whip cream and cherry.

The question frequently arises among pregnant woman. Is it ok to drink rooibos tea during pregnancy? Well first of all rooibos is technically not a tea, thus not derived from the tea plant camellia sinensis. Rooibos is in fact a legume from the aspalathus family.

As a consequence of this rooibos is naturally caffeine free and very low in tannins which brings many health related benefits to everybody drinking it. Especially pregnant women should keep an eye on their health and the health of their baby.

The strong and aromatic taste makes it a natural substitute for coffee especially in the time of pregnancy when caffeine intake should be limited or avoided completely.

The tannins present in large amounts in teas can cause a lower iron absorption in the blood stream. As anemia is quite frequent in pregnancy or breastfeeding the low tannins in rooibos can be quite beneficial to this cause. Some studies have shown that adding vitamin C to Rooibos tea can greatly increase the body’s capacity to absorb iron and antioxidants.

Aside from that Rooibos tea can have a major role in the life of a pregnant woman, easing many symptoms that come with particular state.

Rooibos can be beneficial in states of constipation, nausea or stomach cramps. Further it can improve liver function and help in states of anxiety and depression.

A word of caution however. In many cases Rooibos is mixed with other herbs and those herbs might cause some undesired effects during pregnancy.

Chinese teas have always been praised for their health benefits. The health conscious individual would however limit the intake of those teas as their composition inherits some less beneficial substances. Same goes for coffee and its high amount of caffeine.

Rooibos is the substitute for teas and coffee. With its composition rooibos proposes a balanced mix of minerals with an unparalleled amount of rejuvenating antioxidants, thus offering a wealthy host of health benefits.

Starting with the absence of caffeine the red tea is suitable for people with hearth conditions. Additionally it can be consumed in large quantities as it does not cause hypertension. The low oxalic acid content makes it suitable for individuals who are prone to kidney stone and artery clothing.

Antioxidants - antiageing, detoxication

Where rooibos really shines is its full spectrum of antioxidants and flavonoids. Apart from the usual  orientin, rutin, qurcetin, chrysoeriol, iso-orientin, luteolin,  and nothofagin it also contains aspalathin a flavonoid that is not found anywhere else. The antioxidants and flavonoids have known health benefits and are essential for helping the body to fend off free radicals that are a cheif source of aging of the skin and internal organs.

Placed directly on the skin it can help to reduce wrinkles and other signs of aged skin.

Rooibos and pregnancy

Pregnancy has always been a delicate period for women.  The absence of caffeine and tannine makes Rooibos tea one of those rate aliments that can be consumed by pregnant women without any limitations or ill effects. Its antiinflamatory and antialergenic properties also help with some symptoms in this period of a woman’s life.

Rooibos and breastfeeding

Following on the pregnancy theme Rooibos tea is also indicated for the breastfeeding mother and her newborn child. Helping with insomnia, colic, stomach cramps and allergies Rooibos tea is the perfect complement to mothers milk.

Minerals - teeth, sport, brains

Rooibos is also a goldmine of minerals rarely found in such abundance anywhere else. Iron for the blood and as a precaution against anemia. Calcium and fluoride for strong teeth and magnesium for active people. Also rich in copper, zinc and potassium very important minerals for the body.

Rooibos and infants

Since the begining of their existence the Kohi tribe have been giving rooibos to infants in order to aleviate colic, stomac cramps and as a soothing beverage before bed time. Its also been found that it can play an important role in curing asthma and other respiratory deseases. Applied localy on the skin it can aleviate eczema, sunburn and diaper rush.

Rooibos diet

Being rich in essential nutrients rooibos is perfect for the dieting individual. As in a strict diet the intake of minerals and vitamins is often neglected. Additionally as it is traditionally consumed without sugar it can be a natural boost to ones dieting efforts.

Being full of antioxidants means that organic rooibos tea can “take care of itself” when it comes to decay. The rooibos tea antioxidants antioxidants that we acquire by drinking rooibos tea and other teas are used to fight free radicals which are the main cause of ageing and decay.

The same antioxidants can be used to fend off bacteria and fungi in rooibos itself. So it is clear that organic rooibos tea can be preserved for a longer period of time without resorting to preservatives. Additionally it can be cultivated without the use of pesticides and can be offered to the consumers as natural organic Rooibos tea. This also contributes to a sustainable farming and enhances the quality of environment that we leave for future generations.

In this fasion we get in our cup a pure brew of the finest organic rooibos tea without any additives. Rich in minerals and health preserving substances.

Red rooibos is the classic and better known variety of rooibos. Prepared after the modified traditional method the red bush is first cut and bruised then left to ferment and finally dried in the African sun.

The oxidation step is what gives the tea its famous mahogany-red color and rich taste. Because of the strong and rich fragrant taste the tea is often mixed with other herbs. The most known are vanilla-rooibos, almond-rooibos or some more exotic lemon-apple-rooibos varieties.

The ways to enjoy this tasty and rich healthy alternative to coffee and tea are truely unlimited.

In a previous post we covered the implications of drinking Rooibos tea in pregnancy. As a good alternative for mothers who try to keep away from caffeine while pregnant Rooibos tea is also an excellent drink for the breastfeeding mother.

Lets take a look at all the benefits that a young mother with her newborn can get from Rooibos tea.

Being a young mother can be a stressful so staying calm and sleep well it’s a must. It is important not to start drinking coffee in this stage as it can lead to irritability and insomnia. As in pregnancy Rooibos tea can help in this situation. Naturally sweet and soothing its aroma will help a young mother stay calm and sleep well.

It is well known that everything the mother ingests gets to the newborn trough the milk. Another benefit of Rooibos tea, being free of preservatives and additives helps providing the mother and child with a natural and healthy supply of minerals and vitamins without the damaging effects of additives.

Rooibos tea can help preventing anemia, a common simptom among breastfeeding mothers. The tannine levels in Rooibos tea are just around 3% well below the levels found in other teas. Rooibos tea is a good source of iron itself and with the low tannine levels the iron can be absorbed in the blood completely.

Finally Rooibos tea can help alleviate some of the simptoms in newborn babies. Such as stomac cramps, colics, alergies. It is even used against diaper rush.