Rooibos effect

Gilani AH, Khan AU, Ghayur MN, Ali SF, Herzig JW. 2006. Antispasmodic effects of Rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) is mediated predominantly through K + -channel activation. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 99 365-373. 

Figure 1 Effect of fermented and green rooibos (Rf Rg) and honeybush (Hf Hg) on the hepatic redox status (reduced to oxidized glutathione ratio) of rats consuming the various herbal teas for 10 weeks. The control group consumed water (Data are from reference 50)...

Figure 2 Inhibitory effect of topical application of rooibos and honeybush extracts on skin tumor development over a 20 week period in a two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis model (Data are from reference 54)...

Figure 3 Effect of green and fermented rooibos (Rg, Rf and honeybush (Hg, Hf on the induction of GSTP foci by combined treatment of DEN and EBj (Data...

Few human studies or clinical trials examining the potential health and/or therapeutic applications of rooibos have been reported. Dnring the early 1980s, a small (n=7) study was conducted in hnmans snffering from asthma or hay fever. Neither the ingestion of traditional rooibos nor the topical apphcation of a rooibos poultice exhibited any antihistaminic effects (75). Nearly a decade later, another human study was pubhshed that showed a positive effect an infusion of rooibos had on patients with atopic dermatitis and herpes simplex viral infection 74). A decreased itching and indnced-inflammation was reported as well as a decreased incidence of herpes simplex. As yet, no hnman studies on inunune responses have been published. 

Another small (n=10) human study in the late 1970s reported on the effect of rooibos on iron absorption 32). No detrimental effect on iron absorption was shown after the subjects had consumed traditionahfermented rooibos (200 mL containing milk and sugar) when compared with the control group consuming water. Subsequently, a more recent study pubhshed in 2005 confirmed these results that the intake of 200 mL of traditional rooibos (with milk and sugar) per day for 16 weeks by school children did not have any adverse effects on their iron status (75). 

Table IV. Effect of Traditional Rooibos Consumption on Selected Blood...

Strong conclusions can be made regarding the association between rooibos and heart disease. No published reports describing the effects of honeybush in humans have appeared in any English peer-reviewed journals to date. 

Kawano A, Nakamura H, Hata S, Minakawa M, Miura Y, Yagasaki K (2009) Hypoglycemic effect of aspalathin, a rooibos tea component from Aspalaihus linearis, in type 2 diabetic model db/db mice. Phytomedicine 16 437... 

Snijman PW, Swanevelder SJ, Joubert E, Green IR, Gelderblom WCA (2007) The antimutagenic activity of the major flavonoids of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) some dose-response effects on mutagen activation-flavonoid interactions. Mutat Res 631 111... 

---