Re: Roobois tea Rooibos and rooibosch.

[Guest guest]

A long time ago, though, I used to see it spelled rooibosch, and both

forms are out there on the internet.

R.

Rowena wrote:

> Every pack of this tea I have ever bought called it Rooibos.

> Afrikaans for " red bush " .

> Rowena

>

[Guest guest]

And now my interest is piqued, I find things like this:

http://www.wulongtea-info.com/rooibos-health-benefits.asp

Exceedingly more important is the fact that (redbush) rooibos tea, and

especially the extract from the green *rooibos plant*, is the only tea

and pure extract to contain the very powerful anti-oxidant *Aspalathax. *

Aspalathax cannot be found in any other plant in the world! Aspalathox

is a very powerful anti-oxidant in the fight to prevent cancer and other

major developed diseases. It gives the immune system a strong boost. The

powerful anti-oxidants found in the extract from the rooibos plant will

also aid in the prevention of viral and bacterial diseases.

http://www.cancerdecisions.com/070503_page.html

By reputation, it is a 'miracle tea' that is widely used for nervous

tension, allergies (dermatitis), and various digestive problems (Bramati

2002). Rooibos is a good source of vitamin C, as well as small amounts

of magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, chloride, and potassium. It contains

no caffeine and, unlike regular tea, does not interfere with iron

absorption (Hesseling 1979). Rooibos also contains many antioxidants

known as flavonoids, such as aspalathin, rutin, and orientin (Bramati

2002). These antioxidants function as free radical scavengers,

preventing damage to normal cells. . .

According to researchers at the University of Nagasaki, red tea also

counteracts the cancer-causing properties of radiation. In an experiment

to test the protective effect of red tea, a mouse cell line was zapped

with cancer-causing rays. The researchers found that the expected

transformation of normal into cancerous cells was reduced as the

exposure to Rooibos increased. At a certain level, the transformation

was reduced to next to nothing (the 'spontaneous level'). Suppression of

cancer formation was highest when Rooibos was present during the entire

incubation period (Komatsu 1994). Green tea wasn't nearly as powerful in

this respect as red tea. . . . There was indeed a build up of harmful

chemicals in the water-fed, but not the Rooibos-fed, rats. . . .

" /whereas little change of the signal intensity was observed in MR

images of the same regions [of the brains, ed] of 24-month-old rats/ "

who were allowed to drink Rooibos. In fact, their MRIs " were similar to

those of young rats. " The scientists concluded that long-term use of

Rooibos " /prevented age-related accumulation of lipid peroxides in

several regions of rat brain/ " (Inanami 1995). ... scientists at Okayama

University concluded that " /Rooibos tea intake may be of value in

prophylaxis [prevention, ed.] of the diseases involving a severe defect

in…immune response such as cancer, allergy, AIDS, and other infections/ "

(Kunishiro 2001).

http://health.iafrica.com/dietonline/general/1494541.htm

" We have been investigating the effect of Rooibos on various kinds of

cancer for years and have been able to prove the benefits of Rooibos in

preventing or slowing down different kinds of cancer, " says Dr Jeanine

Marnewick of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology who also worked

on Rooibos and cancer at the Medical Research Council (MRC) for many

years. " We have found that Green Rooibos, the unfermented version of the

tea, significantly inhibits the growth of cancer cells, and that

traditional Rooibos also achieves this effect, albeit at a slightly

lower rate. " . . . Oxidative stress plays a role in the development of a

whole range of diseases, including cancer, strokes, heart and liver

disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's, " explains Dr Marnewick . . . .

Rooibos reduces cancer-associated changes in cells by protecting them

against DNA damage or mutagenesis. Rooibos contains quercetin, luteolin

and orientin — potent anti-oxidants that scavenge free radicals that

damage the DNA of the cells. Rooibos' anti-oxidants bind to the free

radicals and inactivate them before they can cause damage.2. Rooibos may

prevent a cell with damaged DNA from becoming a cancerous cell.3.

Rooibos may prevent cancerous cells from multiplying into masses and

creating cancerous tumors.4. Rooibos increases the level of natural

anti-oxidants in the liver, which means that the liver's anti-oxidant

status is improved.5. Rooibos also helps the liver to get rid of

compounds that can cause cancer. . . .

http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2005/march/rooibos.htm

MRC researcher Dr Jeanine Marnewick decided to put the rooibos, and the

lesser-known honeybush tea, to the test. 'Rooibos tea has been used by

South African communities for centuries and there are many stories of

how it was used against certain human ailments,' she says. Her study

results are convincing. Both rooibos and honeybush tea offered

protection against one of the first steps in the potential onset of

cancer: mutagenesis. This is the process whereby the genetic material

(or DNA) of a cell is altered by excessive exposure to mutagens

(cigarette smoke, sunlight or chemical substances such as hydrogen

peroxide). This change in the DNA is known to be a major cause of

cancer. The tea offers protection in various ways. It is a potent

anti-oxidant, which means that it 'mops up' free radicals. These are

highly reactive molecules that are also produced during normal bodily

processes. Free radicals can damage the DNA of cells, but anti-oxidants

bind to the free radicals and inactivate them before they can cause any

damage.The tea also increases the level of natural anti-oxidants in the

liver, which means that the liver's anti-oxidant status is

increased.Furthermore, the tea stimulates the liver enzymes that

metabolise (break down) carcinogens when they enter the body.

Carcinogens are cancer-causing substances. . . .

http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/papaya-leaf-rooibos-64\

6423.html

papain, found in the papaya leaf, has proven to be a cancer fighting

enzyme. The papain enzyme, which is found in both the papaya fruit and

its leaves, is known for breaking up proteins. Enzymes are essential for

health and longevity. Blended with Rooibos Tea, papaya leaf is prepared

as a tea to fight and prevent cancer. Papain has been proven in studies

to eat away the protein fibrous coating on cancer cells so that the body

can kill the cancer.

http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/papaya-leaf-rooibos-64\

6423.html

According to studies, Rooibos Tea has been shown to aid in health

problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure

<http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/papaya-leaf-rooibos-6\

46423.html#>,

irritability, headaches, stomach cramps, disturbed sleeping patterns,

insomnia, nervous tension, mild depression or hypertension, liver

diseases, allergies, cataracts, mellitus, atherosclerosis, nausea and

vomiting, constipation, stomach ulcers, and heartburn. It boosts the

immune system and has 50 times the antioxidant properties of green tea.

and so on

R

A long time ago, though, I used to see it spelled rooibosch, and both

forms are out there on the internet.

R.

Rowena wrote:

> Every pack of this tea I have ever bought called it Rooibos.

> Afrikaans for " red bush " .

> Rowena

>