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Rooibos

Also known as: Aspalathus linearis, Red Bush Tea

Overview

Rooibos tea is a tea brewed pretty much exclusively from the plant Aspalathus linearis, and it is becoming a more popular beverage to drink in part due to its taste (being semi-sweet and less bitter than green and black tea) and having a low to no caffeine content, as well as marketing suggesting its antioxidant properties are healthful. When looking at the main claim, the bioactives in Rooibos appear to be relatively potent antioxidant but even when tested in vitro they are not as potent as the green tea catechins; the main bioactive, aspalanthin, also has a pretty poor absorption in living models which limits how it can increase plasma oxidation capacity. The antioxidant potential of Rooibos is present, but both lacklustre as well as unreliable. There are some potential benefits to drinking this tea even when low absorption is considered. It is said that the tea can alleviate intestinal distress and it does appear to have some relaxing effects in the intestines, but there is no evidence in humans at this point in time (and for that claim, peppermint would be a more prudent option). It appears to inhibit glucose absorption from the intestines as well, which may be an anti-obesogenic and anti-diabetic property, but no human studies exist at this point in time. Currently, Rooibos is interesting due to being a palatable tea option but there is not enough evidence to support much health benefits associated with it aside from the standard beneficial (and small of magnitude) changes to unhealthy persons that are seen with any antioxidant compound.

Benefits

Rooibos contains bioactive compounds, primarily aspalathin, which are believed to contribute to its antioxidant properties. However, the absorption of these compounds in the human body is relatively poor, which limits their effectiveness in increasing plasma oxidation capacity. The tea may also inhibit glucose absorption from the intestines, suggesting potential anti-obesogenic and anti-diabetic properties, although this has not been confirmed in human studies.

How it works

Rooibos tea is said to have several potential benefits, including alleviating intestinal distress and providing some relaxing effects in the intestines. It may also inhibit glucose absorption, which could contribute to anti-obesogenic and anti-diabetic effects. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to support these claims in humans, and the overall health benefits of Rooibos are considered to be modest.

Side effects

Not enough information is known to evaluate the optimal dosage of Rooibos as a tea or as a supplement, although it appears that the minimum effective dose in humans has been a cup of tea brewed from 750mg of the plant. A daily intake of 750-3,000mg of the tea leaves, preferably in multiple doses with meals, might be optimal.