Rooibos tea can help reduce risk of diabetes mellitus and other conditions; here’s how to brew it

Rooibos tea can help treat insomnia, allergies, nervous breakdown, poor appetite, diabetes and other conditions.

Editorial Team | Updated: January 18, 2019 10:05 am

Try brewing a cup of rooibos tea ©Shutterstock

If you haven’t tried Rooibos tea, it is high time you must. Black tea, green tea, white tea, valerian root tea and many other different varieties of tea are popular for their health benefits. Another tea that you must add to your repertoire is rooibos tea. Native to South Africa, rooibos tea is popular for making a tisane. It is rich in polyphenol antioxidants, has no caffeine and very little tannins. Rooibos is also said to treat insomnia, allergies, and nervous breakdown as well as improve the appetite, according to various studies. Other studies claim that rooibos may also have various antioxidant-associated health benefits including antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties and antiatherosclerotic effects. Some studies have also shown that rooibos tea can alleviate infantile colic, allergies, asthma and dermatological problems. Although rooibos is not very popular in India, it is available on online gourmet portals and some supermarkets. Here are some reasons why you must start having rooibos tea.

Type 2 diabetes: Rooibos tea has an antioxidant called aspalathin which has antidiabetic effects because of its ability to balance blood sugar levels and reduce insulin resistance.

Cancer: Rooibos has aspalathin and quercetin which help protect cells from damage by free radicals and hence reduce the risk of cancer.

Heart disease: Rooibos can decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and also lower blood pressure. It inhibits the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) which increases blood pressure by causing blood vessels to contract.

How to make rooibos tea:
1) Boil one cup of water.
2) Put 1 tsp of rooibos tea leaves in it. Wait for a minute.
3) Let the tea steep for about 5 to 10 minutes.
4) Filter and drink it hot.
5) It is best to drink it as it is. You could add milk and a sweetener if you wish.

With inputs from Canda BD, Oguntibeju OO, Marnewick JL. Effects of consumption of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and a rooibos-derived commercial supplement on hepatic tissue injury by tert-butyl hydroperoxide in Wistar rats. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2014;2014:716832.

Published: January 18, 2019 9:57 am | Updated:January 18, 2019 10:05 am

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