Introducing... Rooibos!
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Here's a new tea for you to try - the Rooibos!
I saw a box of Rooibos tea on the shelves in Cold Storage, got curious, and decided to read up on it. Here, I'm sharing a summary of what I managed to learn about Rooibos in various websites.
Rooibos (Afrikaans for 'red bush'; pronounced 'ROY-BOSS') is commonly used to make an herbal tea. Rooibos tea contains no colors, additives or preservatives, making it a natural beverage. It also contains no caffeine!
Rooibos tea is harvested during the summer (Southern Hemisphere).
Most of the tea is picked manually. The tea is then bruised and cut using tobacco cutting machines. At this stage, Rooibos is still green. Fermentation is essential in order to enhance the flavor of the tea. Rooibos is fermented in mounds and then spread out to dry in the sunlight. Fermentation turns the tea red. Rooibos' nick name 'red bush does not apply to a live plant since it is green until it is fermented. In the final process Rooibos is sterilized by steam, dried in commercial dryers, sifted and packaged.
This tea contains no oxalic acid, making it a good beverage for people prone to kidney stones. Rooibos contains the minerals, copper, iron and potassium, calcium, fluoride, zinc, manganese, alpha- hydroxy ( for healthy skin ) and magnesium ( for the nervous system ) are also components of this tea.
Rooibos has found its way into health and beauty products. It is also used to treat irritated skin. Rooibos is brewed and placed directly on infected areas. Rooibos contains anti - oxidants which can help slow the aging process and boost the immune system.
Rooibos contains Aspalathin as well, a flavonoid present in medicinal herbs used to treat skin and circulatory disorders. It is low in tannin, which inhibits absorption of minerals, at 4.4 percent. It contains traces of fluoride, calcium and manganese.
Japanese research into the effects of oligosaccharides, also found in Rooibos, indicates that these compounds may aid the immune system in fighting viral infections.
Rooibos extracts may have also been shown to have anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic effects. In other words, this means that Rooibos is a food that might prevent the development of cancerous cells.
Rooibos is rich in flavonoid antioxidants which mimics the activity of superoxide dismutase, by scavenging free radicals. Once again, this translates to mean that Rooibos can help to prevent cancer.
Other purported benefits include:
- Anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties
- relief of hay fever, asthma and allergies
- relief of insomnia and nervous tension
- relief of constipation, stomach cramps and colic in infants
- easing skin conditions including acne, eczema and nappy/diaper rash
- aid in health problems such as insomnia, irritability, headaches, nervous tension, and hypertension
- purpotedly slows the ageing process
Studies also show that this tea relieves anti- spasmodic agents, which can relieve stomach cramping and colic in infants.
For more info, please visit the following websites :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooibos
http://www.africantea.com/Rooibos-Health/rooibos-health.html
http://www.africantea.com/About_Rooibos_Tea/about_rooibos_tea.html
http://www.teamuse.com/article_040501.html -
i tot usually tea leaves dont contain colouring preservatives and all that...
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I've been drinking this, usually at night when I want something hot but without caffeine. It's got a slight hint of smokey flavour...nice with honey.
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Mine comes in a tea bag and it says 'honey flavoured', so I don't add anything else.
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Lau, I think you practised speed-reading but your skill still a bit lao yah lah!Originally posted by laurence82:i tot usually tea leaves dont contain colouring preservatives and all that...
Go read it again. It says that Rooibos does not contain any colouring.
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I knowOriginally posted by Rhonda:Lau, I think you practised speed-reading but your skill still a bit lao yah lah!
Go read it again. It says that Rooibos does not contain any colouring.
My point was, usually tea leaves dont contain all these stuff, so that line a bit extra
kekekeke -
Orh... aiyah... thought what!Originally posted by laurence82:I know
My point was, usually tea leaves dont contain all these stuff, so that line a bit extra
kekekeke -
it's SOD tea..
kinda rude.. telling people to sod off -
that reminds me, i still have boxes of those rooibos tea from my south africa trip last year!
careful, excessive consumption may cause diarrhoea but it sure effectively detox your system. -
Aiyah, now you tell me!!Originally posted by JLennon:that reminds me, i still have boxes of those rooibos tea from my south africa trip last year!
careful, excessive consumption may cause diarrhoea but it sure effectively detox your system.
Last night, I went down to 7-Eleven's with my colleagues on my breaktime and I returned with a Big Gulp with Iced Lemon Tea mixed with a little Sprite Ice. Drank it bit by bit, and whoa... had to 'cleanse my system' a few times.
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Huh? So this Rooibos is THE SOD tea you've been telling me about?!Originally posted by the Bear:it's SOD tea..
kinda rude.. telling people to sod off
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drops your blood pressure and maintains it...
people with hypertension, do not try to drink the stuff if you are outside.. you will feel faint and lightheaded -
i am sure you now feel cleansed, purged, detoxed and brand new.Originally posted by Rhonda:Aiyah, now you tell me!!
Last night, I went down to 7-Eleven's with my colleagues on my breaktime and I returned with a Big Gulp with Iced Lemon Tea mixed with a little Sprite Ice. Drank it bit by bit, and whoa... had to 'cleanse my system' a few times.
i was told that excessive consumption for men weakens their limbs and ahem other parts too. please note that this is hearsay. -
ok, my dad drinks SOD tea a lot, and he got hypertension, but he never complain of fainting spellsOriginally posted by the Bear:drops your blood pressure and maintains it...
people with hypertension, do not try to drink the stuff if you are outside.. you will feel faint and lightheaded -
the very first time, i meant..
if you've never used it, and use it for the first time, you'll feel lightheaded as your blood pressure dropsOriginally posted by laurence82:ok, my dad drinks SOD tea a lot, and he got hypertension, but he never complain of fainting spells -
that strong?Originally posted by the Bear:the very first time, i meant..
if you've never used it, and use it for the first time, you'll feel lightheaded as your blood pressure drops
ok....but long term wise, does it help? -
it does...
pretty good stuff.. supposed to help with cholestrol and other things.. maybe i should start using it againOriginally posted by laurence82:that strong?
ok....but long term wise, does it help? -
No wonder Rooibos is more expensive than other kinds of tea!
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/me quickly jots down and takes note...Originally posted by JLennon:i am sure you now feel cleansed, purged, detoxed and brand new.
i was told that excessive consumption for men weakens their limbs and ahem other parts too. please note that this is hearsay.
OK, I'm never serving my man tea, especially on the wedding night! -
These are all marketing gimicks to fool the ignorant....
just like a lot of veg oil, peanut oil, corn oil, margarine, etc etc.. saying they contain ZERO cholestrol.
That's very EXTRA b'cos cholestrol is an animal fat... plants don't have it.
Don't be fooled ok?!Originally posted by laurence82:I know
My point was, usually tea leaves dont contain all these stuff, so that line a bit extra
kekekeke -
Hmm... I found this info about cholesterol in plants :Originally posted by ilovemyrolex:These are all marketing gimicks to fool the ignorant....
just like a lot of veg oil, peanut oil, corn oil, margarine, etc etc.. saying they contain ZERO cholestrol.
That's very EXTRA b'cos cholestrol is an animal fat... plants don't have it.
Don't be fooled ok?!
"Behrman and Gopalan (2005) suggest the following as an accurate account of the real sterol content of plants:
More than 250 steroids have been described in plants. Of these, perhaps sitosterol, which differs from cholesterol by an ethyl substituent at position 24, is the most common. But plants also contain cholesterol both free and esterified. Cholesterol occurs as a component of plant membranes and as part of the surface lipids of leaves where it is sometimes the major sterol. The quantity of cholesterol is generally small when expressed a percent of total lipid. While cholesterol averages perhaps 50 mg/kg total lipid in plants, it can be as high as 5 g/kg (or more) in animals."
Source :
http://bip.cnrs-mrs.fr/bip10/choles.htm -
ooops
must have been mis-informed in my biochem class... but i'm still doubtful... let me check these guys out... -
i graduated in 1995...
no wonder... -
Mabbe its me, i find singaporeans tend to get sick more often that others
Only when i come to sg, i know what is asthma, myopia and sinus. three very common thing among my frens, not forgetting the common flu... -
Ah, it's alright. They're always making new discoveries and refuting older ones, until newer ones come up to refute the 'new' discoveries!Originally posted by ilovemyrolex:i graduated in 1995... no wonder...
As a perfect illustration, look at the perpetual debate over caffeine - caffeine's good for you; caffeine's bad for you; ... good, bad, good, bad... and everytime, they'll manage to quote apparently reliable sources and researches to back up their claims.
Nowadays, it's virtually impossible to know everything about something. In fact, I won't be surprised if next year, some research will be quoted, claiming that the cholesterol content in plant sources are negligible or what-not!