Rooibos tea leaves in a wooden spoon resting on a white table.

The Most Powerful Ways Rooibos Tea May Help You

Rooibos tea health benefits will give an incredible boost to your health and wellness. In this science-backed article, you’ll learn where this beautiful red tea comes from and how it can add a layer of wellness to your life. 

From heart health to anti-cancer potential, rooibos tea might become your new favorite beverage.

If you want to learn more about some of the best rooibos teas and blends from Teabloom take a look at this blog for more insight and information. But, for now, let’s dive into the many health benefits rooibos tea has to offer.

What is Rooibos Tea?

Rooibos tea blend in a white cup on a white table being scooped with a wooden spoon.

Rooibos isn’t actually a real tea. By definition, for a tea to be a true tea, it needs to be harvested from the Camellia sinensis plant. All true teas — including black, oolong, green, and white tea — are harvested from this single plant. 

Rooibos tea is harvested from Aspalathus linearis — a plant that is native to South Africa. Rooibos translates to “red bush” in Afrikaans. One rooibos tea health benefit is that it’s completely caffeine-free making it enjoyable for most people — even before bed. You’ll learn about many more amazing health benefits below.

When the leaves are harvested, they are green. After being handled, dried, and bruised, the leaves transform into their signature reddish-brown color, which also helps enhance the flavor. Rooibos has a natural sweetness with a slightly nutty flavor.

This beautiful plant is native to the Cederberg region in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It’s the only place in the world where this tea is grown. 

For centuries, this tea has been used as a natural remedy and beverage all over Africa. Only recently has it started to gain in popularity around the world. It’s not only delicious, but it turns out it has a plethora of fantastic health benefits.

8 Rooibos Tea Health Benefits

A glass mug of hot rooibos tea sprinkled with fresh flowers as an example of natural rooibos tea health benefits.

The people of Africa have used rooibos as a natural herbal remedy for centuries. Today, we know this unique plant has specific science-backed health benefits ranging from reduced inflammation to weight management. Here are some of the most notable rooibos health benefits.

1. High in Unique Antioxidants

A glass mug of rooibos tea on a wooden table next to a closed book.

Rooibos tea contains antioxidants that may help stop free radicals from damaging the cells in your body. This may make you less susceptible to disease and sickness. There is one antioxidant in rooibos called aspalathin which is not found in real tea. 

Aspalathin is the most prominent flavonoid in rooibos tea. It has been shown to help reverse hepatic insulin resistance which may help lower blood glucose levels. It can also help reduce allergic reactions by slowing down mast cell degranulation.

Quercetin is another flavonoid that gives fruits and flowers their color and is linked to other rooibos tea health benefits. It’s an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, but it may also help protect your brain health and even protect against certain cancers. 

You can also drink green rooibos tea — the least-handled form of this tea plant. One green rooibos tea health benefit is that it’s higher in antioxidants than its red counterpart. But, no matter if you drink green or red rooibos, you will receive a healthy boost of nutritious antioxidants.

2. May Be Heart-Friendly

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Anguitensin-converting enzymes (ACE) cause blood pressure to rise. One study showed one rooibos tea health benefit may be that it helps restrain ACE about 30 to 60 minutes after you drink it. Another study showed significantly reduced bad cholesterol levels and increased good cholesterol levels after drinking six cups of rooibos tea every day for six weeks.

3. Helps With Weight Management

A closeup of someone in grey socks standing on a black and white scale on a black floor.

If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain your weight, you may want to consider adding rooibos tea to your diet. One study found that drinking fermented or red rooibos tea may help increase levels of leptin. This hormone sends signals throughout the body telling it that it’s had enough food, which can help regulate food consumption. 

4. May Help With Type 2 Diabetes

A closeup of a person’s hands checking their blood sugar levels with diabetes medical equipment.

One rooibos tea health benefit may include helping protect against diabetes, but more human studies are needed. One study showed a significant improvement in blood glucose levels for rodent subjects treated with a rooibos extract compound. As was mentioned above, aspalathin may help improve blood glucose levels.

5. Potential for Reduced Cancer Risk

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More studies are needed to confirm this rooibos tea health benefit, but a few studies show specific antioxidants may prevent tumor growth or even kill cancer cells. Quercetin and luteolin found in green rooibos tea had great success in these test tube studies. However, the evidence is still inconclusive as we don’t know if drinking rooibos tea will have the same effects and absorb efficiently enough in the human body to provide significant benefits.

6. May Help Reduce Wrinkles

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This rooibos health benefit is a little more unique in that the study referenced didn’t use tea as a beverage — it was used as a topical application. The study compared herbal extracts such as soybean, ginkgo, and tea mixed with rooibos. The results showed that while ginkgo was the best as a skin moisturizer, the tea and rooibos mix was better at helping reduce wrinkles. 

7. Widely Used for Digestion

Young pregnant woman with curly black hair in a white robe sitting next to a window while drinking a cup of rooibos tea for health benefits.

No significant studies point to rooibos tea health benefits specifically for aiding digestion. But, rooibos has been commonly used as an herbal remedy to alleviate stomach cramps, soothe your tummy, and help with IBS. While this may ring true for some people, there isn’t any scientific evidence to back up these claims in humans just yet — but drinking rooibos is worth a try.

8. Completely Caffeine-Free

Woman with brown hair in a grey sweater and striped pajama pants relaxing in the evening on a grey couch while drinking rooibos tea for health benefits.

Did you know that decaffeinated teas still have trace amounts of caffeine that may disrupt your sleep cycle? Rooibos tea is 100% caffeine-free so you can enjoy it any time of the day or night. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, rooibos might become one of your staple teas.

Who Should Avoid Rooibos Tea?

A woman with dark hair in a blue turtleneck sweater and jeans talking with her male doctor in a grey room with grey couches about rooibos tea health benefits.

Rooibos tea is indeed a wonderful herbal tea for most people — but, it’s good to address who this tea may not be good for. You should always speak with your doctor before drinking rooibos tea, especially if you have certain health conditions or take special medications. 

If you are hormone-sensitive — especially to estrogen — you may want to stay away from rooibos tea. If you are undergoing cancer treatment or chemotherapy touch base with your doctor as rooibos tea might interfere with certain medications or treatments. And if you have poor liver or kidney health be sure to speak with your doctor, too.

Where to Find High-Quality Rooibos Tea

A glass teapot pouring rooibos tea into double-walled glass teacups surrounded by loose-leaf teas and flowers on a white table.

Rooibos tea health benefits are plentiful, and Teabloom has all the organic rooibos teas you’ll ever want to drink. They never compromise on quality, and neither should you. When it comes to healthy, nutrient-packed teas, Teabloom is at the forefront of wellness. 

Did you know that your teaware can have a powerful effect on the nutrient composition of your tea? Most traditional teaware is made with materials that leach chemicals — like cadmium and lead — into your tea. Microplastics from tea bags are also wreaking havoc on your health and the environment. 

Teabloom has been on a mission to clean up and improve the tea industry one teacup at a time. Their teas are always responsibly sourced and their teaware is made with pure, chemical-free borosilicate glass. This material is not only sustainable but brings out the best flavors of your tea — which means you’ll get all the purest nutrients and nothing else. 

They are also taking on the disposable cup and teabag industries by offering sustainable solutions that make the world a better place. Explore their reusable tea tumblers and explore 100% compostable tea sachets that break down into the earth in only two months. 

Bring out the best rooibos tea health benefits with teaware that elevates each mindful moment. Explore Teabloom, today.

www.Teabloom.com

*The information provided in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention. If you or someone you know has a medical concern, you should consult with your professional healthcare provider or seek other professional medical treatment.