Rooibos is an Afrikaan word which means “red bush”. Rooibos, commonly known as redbush, is a flowering shrub grown only in the Cedarberg mountain region in South Africa's Western Cape, about 250 km north of Cape Town. The leaves, when brewed, produce a distinctive red color while offering a very sweet and lightly nutty flavor. The tea prepared is known by various names such as rooibos tea, bush tea, redbush tea, South African red tea and red tea. Rooibos tea is an all day drink which serves as a pick-me-up in the morning, a superb thirst-quencher during the day and and aids in having a good sleep in the night. The slightly sweet and brilliant red colored tea is fast becoming one of the hottest trends in the tea industry. Read through the following lines to know some health and nutrition benefits of drinking redbush tea.
Nutritional Value of Rooibos Tea
Amount of Rooibos Tea: 1 cup
Total Weight of Rooibos Tea: 200 ml
Nutrients
|
Amount
|
Iron
|
0.07 mg
|
Potassium
|
7.21 mg
|
Copper
|
0.07 mg
|
Calcium
|
1.09 mg
|
Manganese
|
0.04 mg
|
Fluoride
|
0.22 mg
|
Zinc
|
0.04 mg
|
Magnesium
|
1.57 mg
|
Sodium
|
6.16 mg
|
Nutrition and Health Benefits of Drinking Redbush Tea
- Since rooibos has anti-spasmodic properties, rooibos tea helps in relieving cramps and colic in infants.
- The tea is strongly recommended for people suffering from irritability, headaches, disturbed sleeping patterns, insomnia, nervous tension, mild depression or hypertension.
- Redbush tea helps in reducing the risk of some chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
- The tea has a soothing effect on the central nervous system since it does not contain any caffeine.
- Rooibos tea helps in aiding stomach and digestive problems such as nausea, vomiting, heartburn, stomach ulcers and constipation.
- It is also useful in the management of allergies like hay fever, asthma and eczema.
- The tea can be safely drunk by people suffering from kidney stones since it contains no oxalic acid.
- It provides the daily supplement of calcium, manganese and fluoride, which are essential for the development of strong teeth and bones.
- The tea, when consumed at night, helps a person to relax and sleep well.
- The tea is useful in slowing down the aging process.
- The tea contains anti-oxidants that help in boosting the immune system.
- Redbush tea helps in promoting healthy skin as it contains zinc and alpha-hydroxy acid.
- The tea is applied directly to affected areas to provide a soothing effect and help relieve itching and certain skin irritations like eczema, nappy rash and acne.
- It contains zero calories and helps in reducing the appetite of a person thus making it an effective remedy for weight loss.
Tips
- Boil water in a tea pot and add one teaspoon of rooibos or one tea bag per cup in the pot. Infuse the water for a few minutes.
- The tea can be served simply plain, with hot or cold milk or lemon.
- In case you want to sweeten the tea, you can add honey or sugar.
- It can be safely consumed by pregnant and nursing women since it contains no caffeine.