Why should you drink rooibos tea?

What you should know about rooibos tea (but probably didn’t)

Have you heard of Rooibos tea? I started drinking it years ago when I was living in England and it wasn’t as well known as it is now.

A South African friend of ours used to travel across London to buy his supply. It was one of the things from home that he missed and couldn’t live without.

Our friend gave me some to try one day, proudly extolling its virtues. So I thought I’d give it a go as a way of cutting down on caffeine.

Now, along with the rest of the world, I know so much more about Rooibos tea and I love it even more.

I drink mine with milk and don’t bother with regular black tea at all anymore. I drink coffee in the morning, and then switch to Rooibos and/or green tea for the rest of the day.

Also known as Red Bush tea, Rooibos comes from South Africa. The best thing about it is that the rooibos plant grows naturally without caffeine, so it doesn’t need to undergo any processing to remove caffeine.

It does have a unique flavour that I won’t try to describe; you just have to try it yourself and decide if you like it.

Let’s talk about the benefits of drinking Rooibos tea

Now I’d love to share some of the benefits you may experience from drinking this lovely tea.

Rooibos contains high levels of flavonoids, polyphenols and phenolic acid – powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties also known to be immune boosting.

That’s already pretty impressive, however, the tea has also been shown to have anti-mutagenic properties. That means that it may help to protect our cells against the development of certain cancers.

Drinking Rooibos tea regularly can have a protective effect on nerve and brain function. The antioxidants prevent damage to brain cells and nerve tissue and may help with diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

I’ve seen firsthand how debilitating Alzheimer’s can be; it’s a very cruel disease. And on a lighter note, I’m not getting any younger, so anything that’s been shown to keep our brains healthier as we age gets a big tick of approval from me!

Rooibos tea won’t interfere with iron absorption, as it contains less than half the tannins of black tea. It’s the high amount of tannins in black tea that can prevent the body from effectively absorbing iron.

Rooibos also improves circulation, can help to lower blood pressure and lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels.

I’m a big believer in using a healthy diet and lifestyle to keep these diseases at bay, rather than waiting for them to happen and taking pills.

Love tea, hate tannins? Rooibos tea is just what you need by FactDr

And finally ….

Rooibos tea has a high mineral content – iron, potassium, zinc, magnesium and sodium which means that it may be helpful to boost energy and hydration at certain times, such as during lengthy sporting events.

It can also relieve stomach complaints such as cramps, diarrhoea and indigestion, as the flavonoids help to reduce spasms, inflammation and allergies.

Another big benefit of drinking Rooibos, and my favourite, is that being caffeine-free means you can drink it at any time of the day, even before bed.

It has been shown to help relieve insomnia and encourage restful sleep, so if you’re having trouble sleeping, you could try having a cup before bedtime.

Now if you haven’t tried it yet, what are you waiting for?

Go get yourself some and then let me know what you think!

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