Rooibos tea is an African drink made from the red bush. Rooibos - useful properties and contraindications

Not everyone knows about such a drink as rooibos, but having familiarized themselves with its properties and benefits for the body, they will probably rush to try it.

Initially, rooibos herb for brewing tea was used only by aboriginal African tribes, and in Europe they learned about an amazing plant only in the 20th century. Now you can buy it in any store and regularly prepare a delicious healthy drink.

Rooibos or rooibos - what is this product

The name of the tea drink is given by the name of the plant that became its basis. The African shrub rooibos, or rooibos, which means "red bush", has very fragrant leaves and twigs - a wonderful tea raw material.

A shrub of the legume family is now gaining popularity all over the world, it is cultivated everywhere. The most common use of rooibos tea is in South Africa, many other African countries, as well as in Japan, where everything natural and healthy is valued.

Rooibos comes in two shades - red and green, for which different processing methods are used. Cut young leaves and branches are crushed, steamed immediately, and the finished raw material will be green.

If, after harvesting, the greens are sent for fermentation, the rooibos will be red. The taste is grassy, ​​delicate, red - sweetish, with woody notes.

Composition of rooibos tea

The benefits of rooibos are undeniable - this plant contains a huge amount of antioxidants that prolong youth, quench the effects of free radicals, and prevent the formation of tumors.

These are vitamins C and E, nine flavonoids (including aspalatin, quercetin, notophagin), a number of enzymatic antioxidants. Of the latter, superoxide dismutase is especially effective, thanks to which rooibos extract is produced and used in medicine.

The mineral composition of the plant is the richest. There is:

  • Potassium;
  • Sodium;
  • Iron;
  • Fluorine;
  • Manganese;
  • Magnesium;
  • Calcium;
  • Zinc;
  • Copper.

Rooibos drink contains rutin, vitamin A, vitamin PP, about a hundred aromatic oils, eight phenolcarboxylic acids, and phytoncides. There is also glucose in rooibos, so even children will like the drink from it - because of the pleasant sweetness.

Rooibos tea - useful properties and contraindications

The antioxidant properties of tea raw materials make it suitable for therapeutic purposes in case of allergies, intoxications, for removing toxins and toxins, and for general cleansing of the body.

The drink is suitable as a prophylactic against cancerous tumors, to prolong youth and human activity.

Rooibos is useful for the nervous system - it relieves insomnia, reduces the excitability of the central nervous system, eliminates the effects of stress, helps with depressive conditions, decreased memory and attention.

Cardiovascular pathologies also reduce the severity with regular use of the drink:

  1. Normalizes pressure;
  2. The walls of blood vessels are strengthened;
  3. The level of cholesterol returns to normal;
  4. Improves the condition of the veins with varicose veins.

Skin diseases from taking a tea drink also disappear, especially eczema, allergic rash, dermatitis. Rooibos promotes good digestion - removes colic, stomach pain, regulates stools, improves appetite.

The beneficial properties of rooibos tea will be useful for metabolic disorders, especially for diabetes and urolithiasis. As an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent, tea is suitable for acute respiratory viral infections, coughs, flu, sore throats, and colds.

Rooibus for beauty

An amazing plant is widely used not only in medicine and nutrition, but also in cosmetology. It rejuvenates the skin, tones it, returns freshness, removes signs of fatigue. Rooibos can be used in this way:

  1. Brew the drink in the usual way, pour into molds for ice. Freeze tea. Use ice to wipe the skin instead of tonic.
  2. Prepare a drink, wash it in the morning and evening to moisturize the skin.
  3. Rooibos tea bags soaked in cool water are applied to the eyelids for dark circles.

If you rinse your hair after washing with a tea drink, they will grow thick, healthy. Adding tea to a warm bath will help relieve tired legs and make the skin of the body smooth and toned.

Rooibos Contraindications

The benefits and harms of rooibos tea are well studied. There are very few prohibitions on its consumption, mainly it is individual intolerance (rare).

Be careful when drinking tea at low pressure so as not to bring it down to too low numbers.

The drink does not contain caffeine, so rooibos is not contraindicated during pregnancy. On the contrary, during gestation, the product will help to better absorb iron, promote hematopoiesis, and enrich the body with vitamins and minerals. It is also allowed for children and lactating women.

How to Brew Rooibos (Rooibos)

Tea raw materials can be brewed more than once, while it gives off its taste and does not lose its healing properties.. Therefore, within a day, up to 4 cups of a delicious drink can be made from one serving of rooibos. The procedure is as follows:

  1. Take a porcelain or glass teapot.
  2. Rinse the kettle with boiling water.
  3. Put rooibos.
  4. Fill with water 95 degrees ( a glass for each teaspoon of raw materials).
  5. Close the kettle with a lid, put in heat for 7 minutes.


You can drink rooibos with honey, lemon in cold and hot form.

Recipes with rooibos

Experiments with making rooibos-based drinks are endless. For example, Masai rooibos tea has the following composition:

  • Rooibos;
  • Lemongrass (grass);
  • In specialized tea shops, the choice of rooibos is higher, including with a variety of additives. The cost of the product is moderate, sometimes an order of magnitude lower than expensive varieties of green and black tea, which makes rooibos even more affordable!

    And now the video.

Rooibos tea has African roots. One of the African countries, in addition to diamonds and ever-working residents, gave the world a drink that is wonderful in its taste. The rooibos shrub, which grows in the highlands of Cederberg in South Africa, was first mentioned at the end of the 18th century. They have been making tea from it for a very long time.

Certainly, appearance The plant is different from the usual black and green tea bushes on the Ceylon plantations. But rooibos has its undeniable advantages and can compete with recognized varieties in terms of usefulness.

Who owes its appearance in Europe?

Of course, initially this drink became known to the local natives. It is sometimes called the Bushmen's elixir.. Subsequently, the Dutch learned about the plant, and after them the British, well-known connoisseurs and keepers of tea traditions.

By the way, this shrub has not been cultivated anywhere else, so South Africa is still in charge of its export. The production is absolutely similar to the creation of black and green tea, the process of drying, fermentation and packaging is familiar and understandable.

Rooibos itself, depending on the time of collection, can be not only red in color, but also black.. However, in fact, consumers will be more interested in its healing qualities and properties, which we will talk about later.

Rooibos (second name) is rich in antioxidants, but contains neither vitamin C nor caffeine. But fluorine and copper in it a large number of.

What other trace elements are included in its composition? Those that make the drink as useful as possible, for example:

  • iron;
  • manganese;
  • magnesium;
  • fluorine;
  • calcium;
  • potassium;
  • calcium;
  • sodium;
  • zinc;
  • natural tetracycline;
  • vitamin C;
  • aroma oils.

Benefits and treatment

Rooibos tea has many health benefits:

1. Antioxidants slow down the aging process, and their polyphenolic counterparts prevent cardiovascular diseases.

2. improves immunity, and potassium and sodium are involved in the restoration of physical fitness.

3. Copper compounds allow you to maintain protein metabolism, which is beneficial for representatives of vegetarianism. Also, this microelement restores nerve cells.

4. Rooibos tea has a bactericidal effect, so lotions for eczema, wounds and dermatitis fully justify their use. Such a compress will relieve itching and reduce the size of areas of irritated skin.

5. Help with burns and allergic reactions of the body, removing puffiness from the eyes, as well as inflammation of them with fatigue - these are not all the useful properties of miracle tea.

6. It is worth noting the absolute safety of the product, as a result of which it is permissible to use it by pregnant women and babies.

7. As a medicine, tea is used for nausea, vomiting, infantile colic, disorders of the gastric system, antihelminthic manipulations.

8. The drink is useful for expectoration, restores health with a hangover syndrome, has a beneficial effect on blood pressure.

9. Not so long ago, the results of a study were recorded in which it was proved that tea is the prevention of caries.

Naturally, cosmetic companies have also paid attention to this drink, which want to use the amazing properties of the African miracle as much as possible.

Peculiarities

The best thing for connoisseurs of tea drinking is that rooibos can be brewed repeatedly. It will not lose its taste or useful properties. The drink is consumed hot and cold, does not require the addition of sweeteners..

There is also such a type of tea leaves, which most closely resembles coffee in terms of an invigorating effect, but tastes like herbal tea.

True connoisseurs of rooibos have repeatedly noted the following property of tea - it normalizes mental activity, while the effect of calming and quenching thirst is also high and noticeable.

The sweet and sour taste of the drink resembles compotes, and its flavored counterparts will appeal to kids from the first time.

Tea can be brewed in the traditional way - in a porcelain teapot. In this case, it will take a little more time.

It is permissible to influence it not only with the direct fire of the burners, but also with a microwave, as well as with a heated oven. The properties and taste of rooibos will not suffer at all, and may even improve.

Cautions in use

Rooibos practically does not harm the human body. The only exception is individual intolerance to the product, which is extremely rare.

The second point is to monitor the quality of the purchased product. Now it is easy to run into a fake.

Julia Vern 41 987 6

Rooibos tea, or rooibos, got its name thanks to the African rooibos, a shrub of the same name that grows in South Africa, from the leaves and young stems of which tea raw materials are made.

In Russia, tea appeared relatively recently, but in its homeland it is the classic, most common type of drink that everyone drinks, everywhere and without any restrictions. The second country in the world in terms of the prevalence of rooibos is, oddly enough, Japan, which is still considered the country of classic tea.

The first place on the map where rooibos infusion has long been used by local aborigines - the Khoi-Khoi tribe, is the Cape of Good Hope, which is the most extreme southwestern point of the African continent. The Indians used the plant for a variety of purposes - to treat many diseases, quench thirst, as a dye.

Europe recognized the taste of an infusion from an African plant only at the beginning of the 20th century, when the famous overseas trader B. Ginsberg decided to make a bold attempt to sell rooibos in England. Surprisingly, the attempt was quite successful - sales of rooibos soared in just a matter of months, as did prices for it - demand many times exceeded supply throughout the European part of the continent.

Rooibos is a heat-loving plant, and it cannot grow anywhere else except in its homeland, therefore South Africa has become a monopolist in the supply of rooibos raw materials, which is still in effect today. Since the beginning of the 1930s, entire plantations of rooibos have been cultivated, and in 1954 a special state agency was created to control the production and export of raw materials. The scale of exports is impressive - about 6,000 tons go to different countries, Germany is the leader in imports of rooibos.

What is rooibos?

As mentioned above, rooibos is a shrub plant that grows in the southern latitudes of the African continent; outwardly, like all plants in hot latitudes, it looks rather modest. The central trunk of the bush is smooth, beginning to branch almost from the surface of the earth. The leaves are thin, more like soft needles, about 10 mm long, can grow singly or in bunches. The total height of the shrub reaches no more than 1.5 m.

As tea raw materials, leaves and tender shoots of the upper branches are more often used, coarser stems are processed for technical needs.

Rooibos cultivation in South Africa takes place on an industrial scale, about a third of the entire working population of South Africa, including children, work on rooibos plantations. Few farms can boast an abundance of technical equipment, so all the work is done almost manually.

Of particular difficulty is the collection of red bush seeds. As befits all legumes, rooibos seeds are in their pod, which contains only one seed, which flies out at the speed of a bullet when ripe. When trying to collect immature pods and their subsequent ripening, it is possible to achieve too little a percentage of "survival" of seeds, so there is nothing left but to look for seeds scattered throughout the field. For which, very often, the top layer of dry African soil is sifted and nearby termite mounds are examined.

Sowing of rooibos begins in February in nurseries, and by the beginning of June, seedlings are planted in open ground. The crop is harvested only from shrubs of two years of age, cutting off the tops of the upper branches, tied in bunches and delivered to the factory, where they are sorted and cut into identical parts, no more than 5 cm long.

The next stage is the production of red (fermented) tea raw materials and green (non-fermented). To stop the fermentation process in green rooibos, it is treated with hot steam under high pressure. A drink from such raw materials turns out to be light, transparent, with a more delicate taste. Fermented raw materials give the tea a richer red color, soaked through with the hot African sun.

Sorting of raw materials takes place in only two directions - raw materials of the highest grade, intended for export, and low - for use within their own country. For high-grade tea, clean long leaves are selected that are not damaged by insects, intact. The remains with scrap leaves and parts of branches are used for packaging low-grade raw materials.

The composition and benefits of rooibos tea

Scrupulous Japanese could not ignore one of their favorite drinks - a number of studies were conducted on the beneficial properties of tea raw materials from rooibos. The results of Japanese studies have brought some resonance to the prevailing opinion about the composition of the drink. It turned out that neither the raw material nor the finished drink contains a single gram of vitamin C, and the amount of microelements is so small that it does not even cover a quarter of a person's daily need for them. Potassium, sodium, calcium and traces of iron, zinc fluorine and copper were found in the composition of the raw materials.

Interesting to know!
The absence of caffeine in rooibos has been proven, so rooibos tea is of interest to people who are contraindicated in the use of caffeine.

The amount of easily digestible monosaccharides, such as glucose, fructose, is sufficient to avoid adding sugar to the finished drink - the tea tastes rather sweet. However, it all depends on the individual preferences of the person.

In terms of antioxidants, the finished drink from rooibos overtakes even classic green tea by about half. Antioxidants are chemical substances of various chemical structures that are capable of binding and removing, in an inactive state, toxic decomposition products of pathological foci in the body, which, more often, have an acidic environment. In other words, antioxidants prevent the oxidation of toxins, thereby reducing their harmful effects. One should not hope that the regular use of rooibos will become a panacea for all diseases, but, of course, as an additional means of cleansing the body, it will have its effect.

Rooibos contains compounds that have an antispasmodic effect on the smooth muscles of the intestine, facilitating the course of flatulence and constipation, thus it can be used in children over 6 months of age, after prior consultation with a pediatrician.

The relaxing effect also extends to the smooth muscles lining the lumen of large blood vessels, thereby achieving the effect of lowering blood pressure.

A significant amount of essential oils give the finished drink a peculiar aroma and taste, providing a calming and tonic effect, but here you also need to take into account the individual preferences of a person.

Rooibos tea contraindications

  • Given the high content of glucose, rooibos tea is not recommended for diabetics without prior consultation with your doctor;
  • People with low blood pressure should drink tea in strictly limited quantities - a further decrease in pressure will lead to disturbances in the cardiovascular system and, as a result, a decrease in the urinary and urinary functions of the kidneys. Against the background of an increased volume of fluid in the body, the formation of edema, the appearance of drowsiness, lethargy, chronic fatigue is possible;
  • The finished drink has a rather specific smell and taste, which is not accepted by every organism, therefore, before the first use, it is better to make the volume of tea minimal, also for the reason that many chemical compounds can cause allergic reactions in an unprepared organism.

Rooibos tea preparation

Infusion of rooibos tea does not differ in originality and complexity - brewing rooibos should be similar to brewing ordinary tea at the rate of 1-2 teaspoons of dry tea per glass of the finished drink.

Due to its nature, rooibos leaves contain a large amount of strong fibers, which greatly complicates the extraction of substances from the leaf into the liquid, so it is recommended to infuse rooibos for at least 15 minutes. For the same reason, repeated infusion or even preparation of a decoction is allowed. In this case, boiling should be carried out for no more than 5 minutes.

There is a way to prepare espresso from rooibos raw materials in a coffee maker. What a separate high-quality variety of rooibos is used for. The method was patented by its author - Karl Pretorius, who, without stopping there, developed other types of rooibos "coffee" - red cappuccino, red latte and others.

Until quite recently, few people knew about the existence of such a type of tea as rooibos. This drink appeared on our continent about 100 years ago, but surprisingly quickly gained popularity, gathering a considerable army of admirers.

The history of the origin of the drink

Interestingly, rooibos (or rooibos)- this is not exactly tea, but rather a tea-like drink, which has only the method of brewing in common with tea.

The raw material for it is obtained from the needle-like leaves and branches of the Aspalathus Linearis shrub of the legume family. This unique plant, whose height is about one and a half meters, can only be found in southern Africa, in the region of the Cedar Mountains, where a special climate reigns, created by the winds of the Indian and Atlantic oceans.

In the dialect of the locals, the name of the bush is translated as "red bush", and the drink itself is called the Bushmen's elixir because of its taste and refreshing properties.

The discoverers of this tea are considered to be the African tribe Khoi-Khoi, who lives on the Cape of Good Hope. According to the legend, rooibos was given to the Bushmen by the gods as a source of energy, strength, youth and longevity.


Since ancient times, the indigenous people of southern Africa have used a decoction and infusion of shrub leaves for various purposes: for them it was an excellent tonic drink, a medicine, and a natural dye.

In 1772, rooibos was described by Europeans as a healing elixir, but this was quickly forgotten.

The distribution of this unique drink in Europe and America began only after 1904 thanks to the famous tea merchant Benjamin Ginsberg. He was the first of the merchants who became interested in unusual tea and its properties and decided to try to make money on it.


The idea of ​​trading rooibos turned out to be very successful, consumers appreciated the delicate, fruity-floral taste of the drink, and soon the demand for tea began to significantly exceed supply.

In the 30s of the last century, rooibos tea began to be grown on plantations already on an industrial scale, but the cultivation process required considerable effort from Africans.

The main difficulty was that the zone of shrub growth is very limited. They tried to plant rooibos in South America and Australia, but he could not take root anywhere. Yes, and the collection of red bush seeds was not so simple. Each "bean" of the plant has only one seed, which, when ripe, "shoots", falling to the ground. In order to collect seeds, farmers have to carefully sift the ground near the bushes.


Production steps of African rooibos tea

The collected seeds in special nurseries in February - March are sown in the soil, and in the summer the seedlings are transplanted into open ground, on plantations.

However, until the moment of harvesting, you will have to be patient - it should take about a year and a half before the shrub can provide high-quality raw materials for a healthy drink. During the harvest, which falls in January - March, tea plantation workers cut branches and leaves from mature plants and send them for further processing to the factory.

Depending on the choice of further processing, rooibos tea can turn green (not fermented) or red (fermented). To obtain a green drink, the raw materials are steamed, thereby suspending the fermentation process in young shoots and leaves. Such tea differs from fermented tea in a more delicate herbal taste and a light shade of infusion.

In red rooibos, the natural fermentation process is brought to an end, then the leaves are dried in the sun, sorted, packaged and sent for sale.

High-quality rooibos is crumbly and light, like small sawdust of a bright red-brown hue.

First of all, rooibos is valued for its high (even compared to green tea) content of vitamin C and antioxidants.

As you know, antioxidants prevent the effects of free radicals on the body, thereby slowing down the aging process and preventing the development of cardiovascular diseases, as well as the appearance of cancer cells. In addition, the tea infusion is rich in vitamins such as A, P and E, as well as calcium, iron, potassium, copper, zinc, magnesium, fluorine and sodium - it is not for nothing that rooibos is called a substitute for nutritional supplements.

The finished tea infusion contains about a hundred essential aromatic oils.

As medical studies have shown, the use of rooibos prevents the occurrence of allergic reactions, and also stops the development of negative bioprocesses in the body. As a source of natural and therefore safe tetracycline, rooibos has remarkable bactericidal properties., which makes it an indispensable tool for making compresses and lotions in the treatment of various skin diseases, childhood and adult dermatitis, eczema.


Due to its properties, this miracle tea has a beneficial effect on almost all systems of the human body, promotes the process of digestion, is used as an expectorant and antihelminthic, normalizes blood pressure and strengthens the walls of blood vessels, and the ability to compensate for the lack of mineral salts in the body allows us to recommend this drink for people who are actively involved in sports.

Compared to tea or coffee, rooibos is healthier than these drinks because it does not contain tannin and caffeine, which means that it can be consumed even by pregnant and lactating women in any amount without fear of insomnia or high blood pressure. Another advantage over regular tea is that rooibos contains a minimal amount of oxalic acid, which makes it useful even for people prone to developing urolithiasis.

Also, the tea infusion contains glucose, which is necessary to restore strength and protect the nervous system from overexcitation.

Contraindications

As for contraindications, this drink does not have them, as such. The only contraindication may be individual intolerance to the product, but this is extremely rare. Rooibos is a great tool that keeps the human body in the best possible shape.


How to brew rooibos (rooibos)

There are no specific rules and traditions for brewing this drink.

The methods of its preparation and proportions are no different from the preparation of ordinary tea, and dry brewing is used based on the calculation of 1 teaspoon per glass of drink.

The longer the tea is brewed, the richer the drink with the maximum amount of antioxidants and nutrients.

For the preparation of rooibos, any dishes are suitable, with the exception of earthenware - clay "spoils" the aroma and taste of tea.

Such tea brewed in a transparent teapot will look most impressive. Rooibos tea leaves are quite dense, so when brewed again, the taste and nutritional properties of tea will only improve. The result is a sweetish red-brown drink with sourness and a somewhat unusual woody flavor. That is why so often you can find rooibos with the addition of various flavors - orange, vanilla, strawberry, lemon.


Alternatively, when preparing a drink, you can put an orange or lemon slice in a cup yourself, or add milk, as the indigenous people of southern Africa do.

They drink rooibos both cold and hot, using a chilled drink as a base for non-alcoholic cocktails, punches, and also used in soups and instead of milk in pastries.


Today, rooibos is no longer a curiosity and you can buy it at an affordable price in almost any store specializing in the sale of tea. In winter, this drink will be a great alternative to pharmacy vitamin complexes and will help maintain and strengthen the health of the whole family - young and old.

What is the mysterious product called rooibos, which has recently become popular in our country? It is a red drink with a mild sweet and sour taste and a pleasant aroma.

This "tea" is prepared from the dried leaves and shoots of linear aspalatus, a shrub from the legume family.

It comes from South Africa, and in the language of the African Hottentots, from whom the Dutch colonists borrowed the drink, its name sounds like "rooibos". Traditions of its use have existed for many centuries and have survived to this day. If you don’t know yet what rooibos tea has beneficial properties and contraindications, it’s time to find out the whole truth about it.

The origin of "non-tea" tea

Rooibos tea tones, invigorates and brings great benefits to the body

The herb rooibos is very useful, but it refers to "non-tea" drinks, such as mate and other herbal drinks. True, in everyday life we ​​have long been using the word "tea" in relation to all such products.

Europeans adopted the tradition of drinking red rooibos tea from the Dutch colonists who settled Africa in the 18th century, and those, in turn, from the Hottentots, the indigenous African inhabitants. It is known that the leaves of the “red” aspalatus bush were used by Africans a thousand years ago, and they already knew that rooibos tea tones the body, improves mood and treats some diseases.

Grow "red" bush only in South Africa. The largest rooibos plantation is the Cederberg Valley, in the heart of Africa. When the aspalatus bush turns 1.5 years old, needle-like leaves are cut from it. In the future, the "needles" go through the process of drying and fermentation, on an industrial scale, this process occurs with the participation of special machines. The result is a fermented African tea. When brewing this raw material, the water turns into a rich red color, and the drink acquires a very pleasant taste.

Kinds

Rooibos is produced in two varieties - green and red. Vegetable raw materials for the red drink are completely dried and fermented. To get rooibos green tea, aspalatus “needles” are first steamed and then dried. This prevents the leaves from fully fermenting, keeping the full benefit of the antioxidants. This tea has a light green tint, a distinct herbal taste and aroma.

But dried and sun-fermented red tea becomes less useful, but acquires a sweet taste. And if you offer it to a child, it makes sense not to put sugar in a cup at all - and it's so delicious!

Manufacturers offer customers different varieties of rooibos, combining red or green varieties with various flavors and aromas, as well as including aspalatus raw materials in composition tea drinks. In particular, the unusual and original blue rooibos tea with the addition of blue orchid petals is popular.

Composition and useful properties

In rooibos tea, caffeine is absent, as well as tannin, unlike the usual black tea and from the leaves of camellia sinensis. And the African drink invigorates like black tea. It is thanks to these properties that rooibos can be drunk by those who are contraindicated for caffeinated products. It tones up the drink due to the presence of many useful substances in it, first of all, flavonoid antioxidants (their content in rooibos is higher than in green tea), as well as minerals, including iron, potassium, sodium, manganese, magnesium and others.

Let's open the secret: vitamin C is practically absent in the composition of rooibos. That is, there is very little ascorbic acid, but there is no need to be upset, because the benefits of red tea can be obtained at the expense of other elements. For example, the antioxidants contained in it will instantly improve the condition of the skin. And if you drink rooibos on a regular basis, it will help cleanse the pores, smooth out fine wrinkles.

The composition of a cup of finished red tea (based on 3 grams of dried leaves per 250 grams of boiling water):

  • iron - about 0.08 mg;
  • potassium - 7.5 mg;
  • calcium - 1 mg;
  • manganese - 0.05 mg;
  • magnesium - 1.6 mg;
  • fluorine - 0.25 mg;
  • zinc - 0.05 mg;
  • copper - 0.08 mg;
  • sodium - 6.2 mg.

Ivan-tea also has a positive effect on the body. How to use it correctly and in what cases - read

As you can see, the drink contains a large amount of sodium and potassium. Sodium is an electrolyte that regulates digestion and water balance. Potassium is the main "heart" element, it is needed by the body in the amount of 3000 mg per day for proper blood circulation and reducing the likelihood of heart disease. That's what rooibos is good for in the first place. Of course, it will not be possible to make up for the lack of potassium with tea alone, but as an addition to nutrition and as a tonic life elixir, the drink will be useful for everyday use.

To learn more about the benefits of rooibos tea, watch the video:

Positive effect on the human body

First of all, we will call the drink invigorating, secondly, thirst-quenching, and thirdly, restoring elixir. That is why it is recommended to drink it after physical exertion, overvoltage. Its mineral composition has a beneficial effect on the entire body, returning energy to it. Thanks to the antioxidant properties of flavonoids, the drink has a detrimental effect on bacteria and viruses, helping to overcome colds and flu.
Studies confirm a very important effect of rooibos - the ability to reduce the amount of "bad" cholesterol in the vessels. In addition, a powerful set of antioxidants allows the drink to have a pronounced effect on the prevention of cancer.

Badan tea also has antitumor properties.

Is it possible for pregnant and lactating mothers?

Rooibos tea during pregnancy has a positive effect on the development of the fetus, soothes mother and baby, perfectly quenches thirst. There are no contraindications in its use (you only need to exclude allergic reactions). Potassium and magnesium are vital trace elements that are very important for both mother and baby. Therefore, be sure to drink rooibos tea while breastfeeding, in such feeding is only a plus for the baby. After all, important minerals will also get into breast milk.

Benefits for children and the elderly

The absence of caffeine and tannin, other harmful substances makes tea indispensable for children, the elderly:

  • It strengthens the immune system, blood vessels and improves cardiac activity;
  • Rooibos, unlike classic tea and coffee, does not disturb sleep, so it can be safely consumed throughout the day, including at night;
  • Another undoubted advantage of a red drink over the usual black or green tea, which is important for elderly people with poor health, is the absence of oxalic acid in the composition, which is dangerous for the possible formation of kidney stones, bladder;
  • If a person has a metabolic disorder, flatulence is tormented, rooibos tea will be a salvation. Within a few days, digestion improves, and bloating no longer bothers. In Africa, the drink is traditionally used as a remedy for colic in babies;
  • Rooibos green tea is also famous for its positive effect on human pressure, normalizing the readings of the tonometer.

For diabetes

The polyphenols present in dried leaves are rare antioxidants. That is why doctors agree that a diabetic drink rooibos tea. This drink is able to normalize sugar levels, improve the absorption of glucose by the body, and also increase the secretion of insulin into the blood. Antioxidants are the most valuable natural ingredients bestowed by nature for good health.

Harm and contraindications

Rooibos is a tea whose benefits and harms are well studied today. There are very, very few contraindications for use and undesirable consequences for the human body:

  • During pregnancy, women often experience problems with blood pressure, often it is low. In this case, drinking a lot of red tea is not recommended, it can even lead to fainting, because with frequent use, rooibos significantly reduces blood pressure;
  • You should also carefully consider the use of tea by allergy sufferers, this phenomenon is unlikely, but still possible. Particular attention should be paid to red tea with the addition of fruits and other impurities, since the presence of just a large number of diverse components can provoke an allergic reaction;
  • There is evidence that some components of rooibos have the ability to increase the production of estrogens (female sex hormones). Therefore, people who are aware of the presence of hormone-dependent diseases in them, it is advisable not to drink the drink without the permission of the attending physician;
  • Limiting the use of red tea is also recommended for people with gastritis, pancreatitis and ulcers.

Use

How to brew and drink rooibos tea correctly? Rooibos herbal tea is not afraid of boiling, and microelements are not lost in it. You can brew tea up to 3 times, while the drink will be just as rich. There are many opinions on how to consume this tea; consider the most popular recipes.

For example, excellent taste have:

  • drink with milk in individual proportions;
  • rooibos with and a slice of ginger;
  • tea with an orange slice (can be replaced with Rooibos Marrakesh);
  • mixed black tea with rooibos 4 to 1;
  • rooibos tea with vanilla.

As for brewing, it's a matter of taste. It is only necessary to take into account the properties of rooibos tea to open after 5 - 25 minutes of being in boiling water. It is believed that 3-4 teaspoons of dried leaves should be counted on a cup of tea. But, given that the tea leaves are dense, a lot depends on the brewing time. You can put 1-2 spoons in the teapot, but wait 30 minutes and enjoy the rich taste. It is better to pour “tea teas” with boiling water, then wrap the teapot and let it brew. In order for the taste to reveal itself correctly, it is recommended to hold the teapot in a heated oven, you can even heat the teapot on the stove over low heat for about 5 minutes. Then you can pour the drink into cups.

Perhaps you will be interested to know how to brew milk oolong tea in order to feel the fullness of taste and preserve all the beneficial properties of this drink? You will find a guide to brewing oolong

At the tea ceremony, it is better not to interrupt the taste of the original drink with other food and not to drink tea with chocolate. Enjoy an unusual taste that you will not find anywhere else on the planet! Pour your tea into clear bowls to savor the bright, uplifting color as well.

You will learn about all the intricacies of making rooibos tea from the video:

More recently, rooibos has been used as a starting material for brewing coffee beverages. Are you surprised? It turns out, of course, not coffee, but definitely a strong drink, tasty, aromatic, with the same lush foam. A certain Pretorius from America came up with it, inventing espresso from rooibos.

Brewed rooibos is also used to prepare various dishes, which gives an interesting flavor accent. It is this drink of the color of the evening dawn that can improve the taste of many of the usual ingredients of the daily menu. For example, apples filled with tea and baked in the oven will have an extraordinary taste, and smell like a decoction. Also, cold infusion can be added to various sauces or stew meat in tea (replacing water with it). Rooibos is also used in confectionery for interesting modern desserts.

Choosing and storing correctly

If you have stocked up on enough dry rooibos leaves, be aware that you need to store tea in a dark place in opaque packaging, preferably in containers where air is excluded.

Thus, miraculous tea can retain its properties for 1.5-2 years and always delight households and your guests with exquisite taste.

Rooibos is appropriate to serve both in summer (quenches thirst) and in winter. The drink in cold and hot form calms, tones, uplifts, improves health and rejuvenates every cell of the body, adding the cherished years of life.

Similar content