Reach for the Rooibos
This month, we are featuring the versatile Rooibos tea in our on-line promotions. Despite its widespread use and popularity in the herbal tea world, many people don’t know where Rooibos comes from, or how many health benefits it actually has.
Grown only in the Cedarberg region of South Africa, Rooibos tea comes from many species of the aspalantus plant group. The plant is a shrub-like bush with small yellow flowers, each of which produces a small Rooibos seed. Sifting the sand around the plants collects the seeds. Although it has been harvested and processed for centuries by local South Africans, the production and marketing of Rooibos grew in 1904 with the assistance of Benjamin Ginsberg, a Russian immigrant and pioneer. His group changed harvesting techniques, and began to process the plants by allowing them to ferment in the sun after bruising the leaves with hammers. This changed the flavour and fullness of the tea. After the Second World War, the industry continued to progress and better methods of production and distribution followed.
There are several health benefits in Rooibos; it is completely caffeine free and has no additives, no preservatives and no colorants of any kind. Beyond being brewed into tea, the plant is also used as an ingredient in bread, cosmetics, sweets and other beverages, especially in the region of Japan. It can be enjoyed in unlimited quantities and does not appear to have any negative effects on the body. In fact, Rooibos has been found to contribute to helping maintain healthy skin, teeth and bones.
Japanese scientists have found Rooibos to act as an anti-oxidant, helping slow the process of aging and benefiting the immune system. They have also found it to be beneficial in treating high blood pressure, allergic diseases, diabetes, liver diseases and cataracts, among other things. Even more, Rooibos has been shown to dampen digestive symptoms, such as vomiting, nausea, stomach ulcers, heartburn and constipation.
Since it contains no caffeine, the tea can be helpful for people suffering from insomnia or other sleep disorders, headaches, irritability, tension, mild depression and hypertension. Finally, Rooibos contains iron, potassium, copper, calcium, manganese, fluoride, zinc and magnesium – all daily nutrients needed for a healthy body.
So, now that you’re better acquainted, go check out the selection of Rooibos that we carry at Herbal Republic – look online, or at Teaz Tea Boutique on Granville Street. With our monthly promotion, not only will it do your body good, but your wallet too.
