Posts Tagged ‘rooibos health benefits’

Green rooibos tea

Posted in Rooibos tea health on 04/07/2009 08:21 pm by admin

Organic green rooibos tea leaves. Photo taken ...
As red Rooibos tea gets fermented and oxidized after harvest, in the green variety of Rooibus tea the fermentation and oxidation are skipped. The tea gets withered and steamed immediately thus preventing oxidation. This results in a lighter and more aromatic taste and a deep green color of the beverage.

As green rooibos tea is “freezed” in its more natural and fresh state in conserves even more of its healing properties.

The amounts of antioxidants and flavonoids are also much higher than in the red variety of rooibos tea. As a consequence green Rooibos tea has increased health benefits over red Rooibos tea.

The other nutrients contained in Rooibos tea remain unaltered. So green Rooibos tea is still a rich source of minerals and microelements.

Rooibos gift set

Steeping

Being very low in tannine green Rooibos tea can be steeped or brewed for much longer than regular tea at a much higher temperature. This way the active ingredients can be extracted in much higher quantities. The same leaves can be used for a second steeping.

The latest research has shown that vitamin c significaly increases the absorbtion of antioxidants in the body. Just 30mg of the vitamin in a cup of tea is enought to greatly improve the absorbtion of beneficial substances from the tea. Vitamin c is however destroyed by heat so it should only be added to cold tea.

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Rooibos chai recipe

Posted in Organic farming, Rooibos recipes, Rooibos tea health, Rooibos tea products on 04/07/2009 08:51 am by admin

Chai or more precisely Masala chai is a very popular drink in South Asia and particularly in India. The main ingredients of chai are a very strong black tea, milk and various spices among which cardamom, cinnamon and ginger. The result is a very sweet drink <a style=’display:none;’ href=http://rooibos-benefits.com > Rooibos tea </a> full of spices that some regard almost as food.

Many of us might be put of by the high amount of caffeine of chai. Fortunately this is where Rooibus tea comes in.

Rooibos tea with is strong aroma can stand its ground to black tea and thus it can be used as a substitute in a variation on the chai recipe. This time we get a very similar strong beverage without the caffeine content.

Ingredients: ( 4 servings )

4 cups of water

1 cup of whole milk

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

2 slices of ginger

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon of whole cloves

1/2 tablespoon of whole black peppercorn

2 tablespoons of rooibos leaves

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients together and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir ocasionally boiling for another 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Alternative: Mix together all the ingredients except the milk. Boil for 20 minutes. Store in fridge. Add hot milk before serving.

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Rooibos recipes - part 1

Posted in Rooibos recipes on 12/16/2008 09:46 am by admin

Drink Recipes Here! Read Me! Woot! Woot! Photo...
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.

 

Rooibos tea and pregnancy

Posted in Pregnancy and breastfeeding, Rooibos tea health on 12/15/2008 12:55 pm by admin

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.