If you are a fan of green, black or white tea you may want to rethink your beverage of choice. Rooibos (Aspalathus linear) trumps all three with its substantial health enhancing features.
Even if you are not an ardent tea drinker, a second look at this red hued nectar is worth your while for the sake of disease-free living.
Indigenous to South Africa, rooibos is an exceptional healing herb. According to Medicine Hunter Chris Kilham, a Japanese study found it has notable antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic and antiviral properties.
Teeming with formidable antioxidants, rooibos is a powerful defender of health. Kilham affirms:
“… rooibos is a source of two comparatively rare antioxidants, aspalathin and nothofagin. Aspalathin helps to modify hormones in the body and reduces the output of adrenal hormones specifically, thus reducing stress and helping to inhibit metabolic disorders.
“Aspalathin also helps to regulate blood sugar and therefore can play a role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and excessive fat production. The antioxidant nothofagin also demonstrates significant anti-inflammatory activity and, along with aspalathin, may help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Both appear to protect nerves.”
Likewise, the herb is also a tremendous source of the super-antioxidant quercetin. This compound protects the heart, lowers the risk of cancer, knocks out viruses and markedly reduces inflammation – the ultimate bane of health which is linked with every chronic degenerative disease known.
Additionally, rooibos is packed with helpful minerals. Rich in copper, iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, manganese and potassium, rooibos fortifies the bones and teeth while discouraging premature aging.
Applied topically, the tea soothes skin conditions such as acne, eczema and sunburn due to its alpha hydroxy acid content. Rooibos also calms colic in babies, hypertension, stress and nervous system disorders.
A mildly sweet tea that is void of caffeine and oxalic acid, rooibos is a beneficial beverage for the young and old and everyone in between. Parents will appreciate the soothing influence on hyperactive children while health enthusiasts will value the outstanding perks of the tea.
As Kilham aptly notes:
“It isn’t difficult to live the high antioxidant lifestyle, taking in foods, herbs and teas that will protect your body in many ways, reduce the risk of various chronic and degenerative diseases and make you feel good. As Hippocrates remarked in his credo ‘Let thy food be thy medicine.’ Drink rooibos for taste or drink it for health. In either case, you’ll derive innumerable benefits.”
