Rooibos, or red bush, tea is a caffeine-free, low-tannin beverage that contains vitamin C, antioxidants and fluoride. Rooibos is made from leaves of the South African shrub Aspalathus linearis, a member of the pea family. Tea packer Joekels Ltd. states in undocumented sales literature that rooibos conserves minerals, retains zinc and alpha-hydroxy acid in the skin, "helps fight" cancer and osteoporosis, lowers cholesterol, soothes the nervous system, aids digestion and "enhances" metabolism.
Economic Benefits
Laager is a Joekels-owned South African brand name marketing rooibos leaf products, including tea, instant cappuccino and chocolate or strawberry shakes. Rooibos is a traditional beverage of the Hottentot people of South Africa that was commercially cultivated beginning in the 1930s and now employs 5,000 workers. Germany and Japan are the largest among 30 export markets, but by 2002, U.S. exports were valued at $17.7 million. The U.S. market expanded after 2005, when courts ruled in Republic of Tea vs. Burke International that rooibos is a geographic indicator that cannot be trademarked.
Antioxidant Benefits
Antioxidants scavenge free radicals that can potentially damage body tissue. In 1996, A. von Gadow of University of Stellenbosch in South Africa used two standard methods to evaluate rooibos antioxidant activity compared to other teas. The beta-carotene bleaching assay measures an antioxidant's competition with beta-carotene. The DPPH assay measures a radical's hydrogen acceptance from an antioxidant. All the teas had similar high scores. Under beta-carotene bleaching assay, they scored in descending order as green, black, oolong and then rooibos. Under DPPH assay, their score in descending order was green, rooibos, black and oolong.
Aspalatin Anti-Inflammatory Benefits
The most abundant antioxidant in rooibos is aspalatin, which is found in no other source. Aspalatin is an anti-inflammatory used in South African salves for sunburn and diaper rash. Aspalatin content is high in unfermented rooibos and decreases with fermentation. Other antioxidants in rooibos are fairly common, except nothofagin, which is found only in rooibos and in the southern beech tree.
Quercitin Benefits
Quercitin is a common, powerful antioxidant that is available in small amounts in rooibos. Marketing claims that rooibos tea has soothing and calming properties were based on existing studies of quercitin in St. John's Wort as a minor monoamine oxydase, or MAO, inhibitor. Pharmaceutical MAOs are powerful drugs that prevent the re-uptake of the calming neurotransmitter serotonin and are used in the treatment of depression and manic-depression.
Anti-Mutagen Benefits
DNA damage attributable to environmental and lifestyle exposure to mutagens is a major cause of cancer. In 2000, Jeanine Marnewick and others at the Programme on Mycotoxins and Experimental Carcinogenesis at Stellenbosch University assayed the anti-mutagenic activity of rooibos against known mutagens, including aflatoxin, 2-acetylamonfluorene and hydrogen peroxide. They found that a higher rate of anti-mutagenic protection was noted in unfermented rooibos, compared to fermented rooibos. A threshold of protection was reached at a 5 percent tea extract, beyond which there was no additional benefit.
References
- Springerlink: Rooibos tea, aspalathus linearis, a caffeineless, low-tannin beverage
- USDA Plants Profile: Aspalathus linearis (Burm. f.) R. Dahlgren
- Laager Rooibos: Strength is our Tradition
- South Africa Retail Exchange: Fast Moving Newsletter
- "Food Chemistry"; Comparison.. antioxidant activity...rooibos tea...; A. von Gadow et al; 1997
- "J of Ag & Food Ch"; Antioxidant Assays for Plant and Food...; Joon-Kwan Moon; Jan. 2009
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