Red tea's medicinal purposes
Rooibos, commonly referred to as red tea, originates from the Cape Town region of South Africa and has been used as a beverage for its potential health benefits. Popularized in the late 1960s, red tea is suggested to aid various conditions, including allergies, insomnia, eczema, and digestive issues. It undergoes a fermentation process that transforms its color from green to red, and it is believed to contain antioxidant properties linked to potential benefits for heart health, cancer prevention, and liver protection.
Research, primarily in test-tube and animal studies, suggests that rooibos may help lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, and assist in blood sugar regulation, indicating a possible role in diabetes management. Additionally, it may promote bone health due to its mineral content. While the tea is generally considered safe and caffeine-free, the scientific evidence supporting its medicinal claims remains limited, with a need for more rigorous human studies to validate its therapeutic effects. Overall, rooibos offers a pleasant beverage option, but its health claims should be approached with caution until further research is conducted.
Subject Terms
Red tea's medicinal purposes
DEFINITION: Natural plant product consumed for specific health benefits.
PRINCIPAL PROPOSED USE: Beverage tea
OTHER PROPOSED USES: Allergies, antioxidant, cancer prevention, dyspepsia, eczema, infantile colic, insomnia, minor injuries, preventing liver damage, warts, anti-inflammatory, heart health, bone health, skin health, diabetes management, stress
Overview
Rooibos, or red tea, is a plant native to the Cape Town region of South Africa. Long used as a beverage tea, it was popularized as a medicinal herb in the late 1960s by Annique Theron, who claimed that it could help relieve colic and other infant-related problems. Since then, it has been advocated for a variety of additional conditions, including stomach distress (dyspepsia), allergies, warts, eczema, anxiety, insomnia, and minor injuries.
The tea is harvested during the summer. It is green when picked, but it becomes red during a fermentation process similar to that used to make black tea.
Uses and Applications
Rooibos tea is marketed as a treatment for a wide variety of conditions. However, the proposed uses of this herb have only a small amount of meaningful supporting scientific evidence. Like other forms of tea, red tea contains antioxidant substances in the phenol family. This alone is the basis for many of the health claims attached to it. However, innumerable substances contain antioxidants; furthermore, the theory that antioxidants provide widespread health benefits may be true but requires study specific to the nutrient and the medical condition. Antioxidants like the ones found in red tea have undergone extensive study and appear to protect against chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer.
Test-tube studies hint that red tea might help prevent heart disease, prevent liver injury, and reduce cancer risk. Other test-tube studies hint that constituents of red tea might be active against the human immunodeficiency virus. Small human studies have shown the potential for red tea to lower blood pressure by inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzymes and promote healthy cholesterol levels by reducing LDL but boosting HDL cholesterol. Animal studies have indicated red tea may help balance blood sugar and reduce insulin resistance.
There are several additional proposed therapeutic uses for red tea. Red tea may help to regulate blood pressure, adding to its cardiovascular benefits. Red tea contains calcium, magnesium, and fluoride, which may help promote bone health. It is believed to have antispasmodic properties that can help with digestive issues, such as diarrhea and cramping. Red tea may also promote healthy skin and protect against damage from ultraviolet radiation. Finally, red tea may help regulate blood sugar levels, suggesting it may be useful in diabetes management.
Only double-blind, placebo-controlled studies can prove a treatment’s effectiveness. The number of these trials done on red tea has been limited. However, the ones that have been conducted have shown clear benefits for liver function, skin health, blood pressure, and bone health. Test-tube studies are at the opposite end of the spectrum; they are useful as basic research, but the overwhelming majority of potential benefits seen in the test tube are not seen in human trials. Animal studies move toward proving medical claims, but human study is still required. Therefore, while rooibos may be a pleasant beverage tea, any medicinal claims attached to it have limited scientific foundation until further human study is conducted.
Dosage
Rooibos tea is made by steeping 1 teaspoon, or one tea bag, of the herb in a cup of water.
Safety Issues
As a widely used beverage tea, rooibos is presumed to be safe. It does not contain caffeine. Maximum safe doses in pregnant or nursing women, young children, and those with severe liver or kidney disease have not been determined.
Bibliography
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González-Gallego, J., et al. "Fruit Polyphenols, Immunity, and Inflammation." British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 104, suppl. 3, 2010, pp. S15-S27.
Joubert, E., et al. "Antioxidant and Pro-oxidant Activities of Aqueous Extracts and Crude Polyphenolic Fractions of Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis)." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 53, 2005, pp. 10260-10267.
Nakano, M., et al. "Polysaccharide from Aspalathus linearis with Strong Anti-HIV Activity." Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, vol. 61, 1997, pp. 267-271.
Persson, I. A., et al. "Tea Flavanols Inhibit Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Activity and Increase Nitric Oxide Production in Human Endothelial Cells." Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, vol. 58, 2006, pp. 1139-1144.
Richter, Amy. "5 Health Benefits of Rooibos Tea (Plus Side Effects)." Healthline, 20 Mar. 2023, www.healthline.com/nutrition/rooibos-tea-benefits. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
Sachdev, Poonam. "Rooibos: Health Benefits, Nutrition Facts, and How to Prepare It." WebMD, 23 Nov. 2022, www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-rooibos. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
Wilson, Debra Rose. "Rooibos Tea: Benefits, Nutrition, and How to Drink It." Medical News Today, 25 July 2023, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323637. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.