What Are The Health Benefits Of African Red Rooibos Tea?

The leaves of the rooibos plant, grown in South Africa, are used to make green unfermented and red fermented herbal teas. Used for centuries in Africa for its health benefits, rooibos, available worldwide, is the subject of wide-ranging scientific studies, according to James Duke, author of "Handbook of Medicinal Herbs." Consult with your health care provider before making any changes to your diet.

Heart Disease

Red rooibos herbal tea contains high levels of polyphenols, a type of anti-oxidant believed to combat the blood-vessel inflammation that leads to heart disease. To test this theory, participants in a 2010 study at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Bellville, South Africa, consumed six cups of red rooibos tea each day for 6 weeks. Scientists concluded that red rooibos could significantly improve the balance of your LDL- and HDL-cholesterol levels, which can lessen your risk of heart disease.

Diarrhea

African natives have long used red rooibos tea to treat diarrhea in adults and children, Duke notes. Researchers at Aga Khan University Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan, studied the mechanisms behind this treatment in 2006 and found high levels of several anti-spasmodic compounds in the tea. They concluded that red rooibos tea is "justified in its use for hyperactive gastrointestinal disorders," or diarrhea.

Asthma

Some asthma sufferers report encouraging results from the use of red rooibos tea as a folk remedy for relaxing chronic constricted airways, reports Duke. Studies at Aga Khan University Medical College indicated that rooibos's high levels of the anti-oxidant flavonoid chrysoeriol, known for its anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory effects, create a bronchodilator effect. Scientists concluded that "this study provides a sound mechanistic basis for the wide medicinal use of rooibos tea, with the therapeutic potential to be developed for congestive respiratory ailments."

Aging

South Africans commonly drink rooibos for its anti-aging affects, Duke notes. Oxygen radical absorbance capacity, or ORAC, is a rating system used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help consumers choose foods high in anti-oxidants as a means of reducing the risk of many diseases such as Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Researchers at California State University-Northridge have determined that 1 cup of red rooibos tea contains an ORAC value of 725 to 1,144, depending on the preparation style.