10 Amazing Health Benefits of Rooibos Tea

10 Amazing Health Benefits of Rooibos Tea

The health benefits of Rooibos tea or red bush tea as it is also known as, are numerous and remarkable. It is grown from a small shrub, which only thrives in the Cedarberg region near Cape Town, South Africa.

1. Caffeine free – The rooibos plant grows naturally without any caffeine. This is important, as it means it does not need to undergo a chemical process to remove the caffeine. It also means that anyone can drink it, including those who do not want to drink caffeine such as children & pregnant women. The other key benefit of no caffeine is that rooibos tea can be consumed in unrestricted amounts. Some South African’s will consume 5-6 cups per day.

2. Contains powerful antioxidants – Rooibos tea contains a wide array of antioxidants, which help to protect the body in a number of ways. Two polyphenol antioxidants called aspalathin and nothofagin are found in high concentrations in rooibos tea. These antioxidants protect the body by fighting free radicals. These are unstable cells, which attack healthy cells in order to stabilize themselves. The polyphenols also have anti-inflammatory properties and can safeguard against heart disease.

3. Prevents against some cancers – Some studies have demonstrated a link between consumption of rooibos tea and a reduction of cancer-causing chemicals. This is because of the high level of dominant antioxidants, some of which have anti-mutagenic (anti-cancer) properties. This means that they defend cells & DNA against damage and inhibit them from developing into cancer.

4. High mineral content – One of the key health benefits of rooibos tea is that it contains several minerals that are vital to health. These include: magnesium (essential for the nervous system), calcium & manganese (essential for strong teeth and bones), zinc (important for metabolism) and iron (critical for helping blood & muscles distribute oxygen).

5. Improves circulation – One of the many potent antioxidants in rooibos tea is called Chysoeriol. It can improve circulation by preventing the activity of the enzyme that triggers cardiovascular disease. Drinking rooibos tea also has been known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

6. Relieves stomach complaints – As rooibos tea contains high levels of flavonoids, especially one called quercetin. It has the ability to relieve numerous abdominal ailments such as cramps, diahorrea and indigestion. Flavonoids are known help to reduce spasm, inflammation and allergies. It has also been widely stated that the health benefits of rooibos tea extend to alleviating colic in babies. s it is totally caffeine free, it is perfectly safe for them to drink rooibos tea.

7. Aids absorption of iron – Unlike most black teas, which prevent the body from absorbing iron effectively because of the tannins they contain, rooibos tea supports the body in absorbing iron. Rooibos tea contains less than half the tannins of black tea.

8. Can relieve skin conditions – A recent found that rooibos tea can help you to look more beautiful! Rooibos tea contains phenylpyretic acid, which can help to improve acne, psoriasis and eczema. You can apply a freshly brewed and cooled tea bag to the affected areas and it will soothe and heal any inflammation.

9. Can protect against Parkinsons/Alzheimers disease – Drinking rooibos tea regularly can protect against a process known as lipid peridoxation. This occurs when free radicals damage brain cells and nerve tissue. If this is prolonged, it can lead eventually to progressive and deteriorating brain disease, such as Alzheimer’s.

10. Encourages restful sleep – Rooibos is unique in that it can be consumed as often as you wish and at any time of day. Many people choose to drink it before bedtime as it can help with insomnia. Due to its high mineral content and lack of caffeine, it’s known to help people to feel calm and relaxed.

Sources: http://www.undergroundhealth.com/10-amazing-health-benefits-of-rooibos-tea/

Green tea may trigger a cycle that kills oral cancer cells while leaving healthy cell

Green tea may trigger a cycle that kills oral cancer cells while leaving healthy cell

A compound found in green tea may trigger a cycle that kills oral cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone, according to Penn State food scientists. The research could lead to treatments for oral cancer, as well as other types of cancer.

Earlier studies had shown that epigallocatechin-3-gallate -- EGCG -- a compound found in green tea, killed oral cancer cells without harming normal cells, but researchers did not understand the reasons for its ability to target the cancer cells, said Joshua Lambert, associate professor of food science and co-director of Penn State's Center for Plant and Mushroom Foods for Health. The current study shows that EGCG may trigger a process in the mitochondria that leads to cell death.

"EGCG is doing something to damage the mitochondria and that mitochondrial damage sets up a cycle causing more damage and it spirals out, until the cell undergoes programmed cell death," said Lambert. "It looks like EGCG causes the formation of reactive oxygen species in cancer cells, which damages the mitochondria, and the mitochondria responds by making more reactive oxygen species."

As this mitochondrial demise continues, the cancer cell also reduces the expression of anti-oxidant genes, further lowering its defenses

"So, it's turning off its mechanism of protection at the same time that EGCG is causing this oxidative stress," Lambert added.

The EGCG did not cause this reaction in normal cells. In fact, it appeared to increase the protective capabilities of the cell, according to the researchers, who report their findings in the online issue of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.

The researchers studied normal human oral cells side-by-side with human oral cancer cells to determine how EGCG was affecting cancer cells differently than normal cells. They grew the normal and cancer cells on petri dishes and then exposed them to EGCG, the major polyphenol found in green tea, at concentrations typically found in the saliva after chewing green-tea chewing gum. At various times, the researchers would collect the cells and check for oxidative stress and signs of antioxidant response.

"We also took a lot of pictures, so we could use fluorescent dyes that measure mitochondrial function and oxidative stress and actually see these things develop," said Lambert, who worked with Jong-Yung Park, a research technician and Ling Tao, a doctoral candidate in food science.

The researchers said that a protein called sirtuin 3 -- SIRT3 -- is critical to the process.

"It plays an important role in mitochondrial function and in anti-oxidant response in lots of tissues in the body, so the idea that EGCG might selectively affect the activity of sirtuin 3 in cancer cells -- to turn it off -- and in normal cells -- to turn it on -- is probably applicable in multiple kinds of cancers," Lambert said.

The study builds on earlier research on how EGCG affected oral cancer, a disease that is expected to kill more than 8,000 people in the United States this year.

"We've published one paper previously just looking at the effect of these green tea polyphenols on oral cancer cells in cultures, and there have been other papers published using oral cancer cells and at least a couple of animal model studies that have looked at oral cancer and prevention of oral cancer," said Lambert.

He said the next step would be to study the mechanism in animals. If those tests and human trials are successful, the researchers then hope to create anti-cancer treatments that are as effective as current treatments without the harmful side effects.

"The problem with a lot of chemotherapy drugs -- especially early chemotherapy drugs -- is that they really just target rapidly dividing cells, so cancer divides rapidly, but so do cells in your hair follicles and cells in your intestines, so you have a lot of side effects," said Lambert. "But you don't see these sorts of side effects with green tea consumption."

Press and study from Penn State University. -

Sources: http://www.naturalblaze.com/2015/01/green-tea-ingredient-may-target-protein.html