ROOIBOS & Other Herbal Tisanes

1. All tea comes from one tea plant, “Camellia Sinensis.”

2. The plant dates back to the Tertiary Period, preceding the ice age. The plant was able to survive because the Yunan and Guizhou plateaus were not affected by the glaciations.

Meditation:

As you know we have been including a small meditation before we begin our classes each week, and lately with Yolanda as our guide. I feel for those individuals who are reading this without having the benefit of being with us, I ask you to connect your tongue to the roof of your mouth and just breathe for a minute, correctly thru your abdomen and allow purity of thought to enter your being for a moment or two.

Do We Realize the Blessings in our Lives?

“ for those of you who may have had a bad day, a hectic day, a stressful day, and even a perfect day….let me read you a few startling facts which will put everything in perspective and help us take a deep breath and open ourselves to the fascinating and important information we’re going to hear and talk about tonight!!’

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100
people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following.

There would be:

1. 57 Asians

2. 21 Europeans (14 from the Western Hemisphere)

3. 8 Africans

4. 52 would be female

5. 48 would be male

6. 70 would be different colors

7. 30 would be white

8. 70 would be non-Christian

9. 30 would be Christian

10. Six would possess 59 percent of the entire world's wealth and all six would be from the United States of America

11. 80 would live in substandard housing

12. 70 would be unable to read

13. 50 would suffer from malnutrition

14. 1 would be near death

15. 1 would be near birth

16. One - yes, only one - would have a tertiary education and only one would own a computer.

When one considers our world from such a small compressed perspective,
the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly
apparent.

The following is also something to ponder:

1. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

2. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500-million people in the world.

3. If you can attend a meeting of worshippers without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

4. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75 percent of this world.

5. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish somewhere, you are among the top eight percent of the world's wealthy.

Rooibos
1. Rooibos in Afrikaans means red bush. It is interesting to note that Rooibos when grown is in fact green and only turns red during the slight fermentation process it goes thru as we will explore below.

2. Rooibos is pronounced many ways. The accepted way today is to pronounce it as Roibos.

3. The scientific name of Rooibos is Aspalathus linearis. Rooibos is a member of the legume family of plants and is used to make a tisane or herbal tea.

4. What is it a TISANE? Tisane is an herbal drink. It is any herbal infusion not made from the leaves of the tea bush (Camellia sinensis). We know the four varieties of "real" tea includes; black, oolong, green, yellow, and white tea. Tisanes can be made with fresh or dried flowers, leaves, seeds or roots, generally by pouring boiling water over the plant parts and letting them steep for a few minutes. Seeds and roots can also be boiled on a stove.

5. Rooibos has been growing naturally in South Africa in an area called the Cederberg Mountains for centuries. Cederberg is an area just north of Capetown with vast vistas and fields of verdant green bushes that fill today’s landscape.

6. In South Africa it is more usual to drink Rooibos with milk and sugar, but elsewhere it is usually served without.

7. The flavor of Rooibos tea is often described as being sweet even though no sugar is added with a slight nutty aftertaste. The resulting Rooibos liquor is a reddish brown color, perhaps explaining why Rooibos is sometimes referred to as red tea.

History of Rooibos & South Africa

1. The first known inhabitants of the Western Cape area arrived around 100,000 BC. These people were Stone Age hunter-gatherers who used stone tools and fire. They survived the Ice Age, when water levels were around 120 meters lower than their current levels and the Cape — and in particular the Cape Flats was covered in forests due to increased humidity. Fossils from around 8000 BC indicate that by that period the inhabitants of the region had developed bows and arrows which they used to hunt. Nearly 6000 years later, a large migration of tribes further inland brought the inhabitants of the Cape into contact with skilled agriculturalists, prompting them to grow crops.

2. The first Europeans, under the command of Bartholomeu Dias, discovered the Cape in 1486. The next recorded sighting of the Cape was by Vasco da Gama in 1497 while he was searching for a route that would lead directly from Europe to Asia.

3. Table Mountain was given its name in 1503 by Antonio da Saldanha, a Portuguese admiral and explorer. He called it Taboa da caba ("table of the cape"). The original name given to the mountain by the first Khoi inhabitants was Hoeri 'kwaggo ("sea mountain").

4. In March 1647, with the shipwreck of the Dutch ship Nieuwe Haarlem, began the Dutch settlement in South Africa at and around what is now Cape Town. They stayed for one year at the Cape and were finally rescued by a fleet of 12 ships under the command of W.G. de Jong, on one of these ships was also Jan van Riebeeck.

5. After their return in Holland a part of the shipwrecked crew tried to persuade the Dutch East India Company to open a trading center at the Cape.

6. In 1652, a Dutch expedition of 90 Calvinist settlers, under the command of Jan Van Riebeeck, founded the first permanent settlement near the Cape of Good Hope. They arrived, on 6 April 1652, on board of five ships, the Reijer, the Oliphant, the Goede Hoop, the Walvisch end the Dromedaris in the bay of today's Cape Town.

7. These Dutch settlers to the Cape adopted Rooibos as an alternative to their black tea which was a very expensive commodity for the settlers who relied on supply ships from Europe. Until the 19th century, however, Dutch usage of the tea was minimal.

8. Simon van der Stel, after whom the town of Stellenbosch is named, arrived in 1679 to replace Van Riebeeck as governor. Van der Stel founded the Cape wine industry by bringing grape vines with him on his ship, an industry which would quickly grow to be important for the region. He also promoted territorial expansion in the Colony.

9. The first non-Dutch immigrants to the Cape, the Huguenots, arrived in 1688. The Huguenots had fled from anti-Protestant persecution in Catholic France to the Netherlands, where the VOC (Dutch East India Company) offered them free passage to the Cape as well as farmland. The Huguenots brought important experience in wine production to the Cape, greatly bolstering the industry, as well as providing stong cultural roots.

10. Rooibos was first reported in a written document in 1772 by botanist Carl Humberg.

11. By 1754, the population of the settlement on the Cape had reached 5,510 Europeans and 6,729 slaves (anyone who was not of Dutch ancestry)

12. The British successfully invaded the Cape in the Battle of Muizenberg, August 7th. 1795.

13. The Cape was permanently taken from the Dutch by the British in return for a large sum of money. In this period, the British saw the control of the Cape as key to their ability to maintain their command in India. English became the language of the Cape. This was Britain's second colony, after Sierra Leone. Ownership of this territory proved crucialduring the First and Second world Wars, when mastery of the Cape had significant strategic importance to the Allied war effort. In addition the Cape became the springboard for British colonial expansion into Africa. Certainly current-day Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi all owe their current form to the battle.

14. The Dutch agreed with the condition that they be allowed to continue to use the Cape for repairs and refreshment.

15. Rooibos was first used by the Khoisan people indigenous to the Cederberg mountain area of South Africa. These Bushmen and their descendents had been using Rooibos for centuries as a medicinalbeverage.

Similar in nature to how tea was first used by the Chinese for centuries as a medicinal beverage.

16. In 1814, the British purchased the Cape Colony from the Dutch, and English became the official language a few years later, helping to spread knowledge of South Africa to England and America.

17. In King's American Dispensatory of 1898, under the heading of tea, honeybush is already listed as a substitute, with reference to a report from 1881 indicating use of honeybush as a tea in the Cape Colony of South Africa. The Khoisan of the South African Cape were also using the tea for treatment of coughs and other upper respiratory symptoms associated with infections.

18. In 1904, Benjamin Ginsberg was a Russian settler to the Cape. Ginsberg born in England married a Russian girl and moved to Russia where he learned the Tea business from his new family who were from a famous tea family in Russia. He returned to England with his family seeking to do something in the Tea business. By that time Tea in England was very popular and many establishments had already been realized. Having heard one day about this new colony in South Africa who was prospering with the new gold discoveries and the use of a new tea substitute he took a boat to Capetown. Once arrived he was stunned to hear about daily use of a tea substitute in this English Colony. They also used the Rooibos as and for medicinal benefits which reminded Ginsberg of the origins of Tea in China and he set about to seek more knowledge about the new drink.

19. Ginsberg contacted the local Khoisan people who were then the only ones harvesting the Rooibos plant. They were poor and he was able to organize them to harvest and prepare the drink for daily consumption.

20. He sold his "Mountain Tea" as it was called, to settlers in the Cape who were seeking a cheaper substitute for tea with medicinal properties, or can we say; “proper-teas?”

21. In the 1930s, Ginsberg was seeking to increase his production of Rooibos. He spoke to and eventually convinced a local doctor to experiment with cultivation of the plant. The attempts were successful, which led Ginsberg to encourage local farmers to cultivate the plant in the hope that it would become a profitable venture. The first attempts at large volume cultivation was a disaster due to the seeds being too small for cultivation. The seeds from the doctor were no larger than a grain of sand and so were difficult to find and gather. This resulted in the seeds soaring to an astounding £80 a pound, which was obviously far too expensive for local farmers to afford.

22. Fortunately for Ginsberg he employed a number of his own employees to collect the seeds. One woman whose name is now lost in the hills of Cederberg had found a rather unusual source of supply. While other collectors only brought in matchbox-sized quantities of the seed, she continually delivered large bags of the seeds and was eventually persuaded to share her secret. She chanced upon ants dragging seed one day, while she was searching for the minute seeds. She followed their trail back to their nest and, on breaking it open, found a granary where Up to 25,000 seeds (450g) have been found in a single nest.

23. The demand for Rooibos increased dramatically during World War II as a result of buying and shipping real Camellia Sinensis tea from Asia was very difficult.

24. In 1968, Rooibos popularity took a turn for the positive when South African mother Annique Theron fortuitously stumbled across Rooibos teas' ability to calm her baby, relieving the infant’s colic and insomnia. Gratified by Rooibos' natural healing potential, Annique went on to investigate and document Rooibos' health-promoting properties. In 1970, Annique published her findings a book titled "Allergies: An Amazing Discovery."

Producing Red & Green Rooibos
1. Rooibos like most teas goes through a fermentation process. The unfermented Rooibos is what we call Green Rooibos.

2. Rooibos is harvested while it is mostly green. Actually if Rooibos was not harvested and fermented it would stay green. The Rooibos is actually cut out in the fields, similar in fashion to wheat, and is taken to the factory. When Rooibos is cultivated commercially, the needle-like leaves and stems are usually harvested in the summer, which corresponds to the months of January through March in South Africa.

3. The plants are cut to about 30 cm (1 foot) from the ground at harvest time and begin another major growth cycle the following spring for harvest.

4. The Rooibos is then taken to the factory where it is inspected and then goes thru a cleaning process similar in nature to tea (Camellia Sinensis).

5. The Rooibos is now ready to be finely chopped. Then just like Oolong and Black tea the chopped Rooibos is then bruised (by machinery) and left to ferment in heaps at the plantation.

6. The bruised Rooibos fermenting in the very hot African sun, actually then changes from a vivid green to a deep mahogany red. It is this unique color of the Rooibos which gives Rooibos the color which the Rooibos tisane is known and adored all around the world.

7. The unfermented type, often called green rooibos, contains higher levels of polyphenol antioxidants because fermented rooibos loses some antioxidants during the fermentation process. The unfermented type was developed to maximize antioxidant levels in response to recent interest in the health benefits associated with the antioxidants found in Camellia Sinensis teas. Unfermented rooibos tea is a tan/yellow color rather than the rich reddish color of fermented rooibos.

8. The Rooibos is then graded according to color, flavor, and cut length, with the highest grade labeled as "supergrade."

9. The tea has a smooth, non-bitter flavor that is pleasant hot or chilled.

10. The unfermented variety “Green Rooibos” has a very mild "green" taste reminiscent of green tea but without the astringency; the fermented type is quite different, with a stronger sweet and fruity taste.

11. The mild flavor of Rooibos has made it popular in multi-ingredient herbal tea blends and we at the Tea Garden use it as our Herbal Tisane base in BLENDING SOME OF THE Worlds finest Tisanes.

Health Benefits of Rooibos

What is the Best Tea for Pregnant Women?

a. In South Africa, the drink of choice for the expectant mothers is Rooibos tea. This caffeine-free herbal infusion has been shown to soothe the body's reaction to allergy and rashes.
b. At an herbal store, you'll probably find Rooibos under the name "Herbal Allergy tea" due to this natural allergy-fighting quality.
c. Recent studies have shown that Rooibos tea may also have a significant amount of antioxidants (health-inducing compounds), comparable to those found in green tea as we will discuss below.
d. Relief from the aches and pains associated with pregnancy is another way in which herbal teas may aid expecting mothers. The first instinct may be for Chamomile, since it is famous for its relaxing effects. However, this is a member of the Ragweed family, so may potentially cause the child to have an allergic reaction.
e. Instead, the taking of an herbal mint tea such as Peppermint which has been used for millennia, dating back to the Greeks, as a caffeine-free home remedy that promotes relaxation for moms-to-be. In addition, it has been shown to sooth the stomach, especially useful for those that are prone to morning sickness.
f. One of worlds most useful herbs found for pregnant women is called Raspberry Leaf. Women of the Cherokee nation traditionally drank Raspberry Leaf tea, now used all over the world. Raspberry Leaf helps to prepare the womb for birth by relaxing and strengthening the uterus, and also helps nausea, and supports general gastrointestinal health. The Japanese women also believe Rooibos to aid the development of the womb and consume much Rooibos thru ought pregnancy.

Rooibos vs Green Tea
Even more alluring, unconfirmed studies are showing that these flavonoids may be up to 50 times more effective than those found in Green tea.
The following information was taken from an article on the website regarding the health benefits of Rooibos tea.

Antioxidants in Rooibos
Free radicals (unstable molecules that have lost an electron) can damage the DNA in cells, leading to cancer, and they can oxidize cholesterol, leading to clogged blood vessels, heart attack, and stroke. Antioxidants can bind to free radicals before the free radicals cause harm. Some antioxidants are called polyphenols because these substances contain a phenolic ring in their chemical structure. Polyphenols are common in plants; they act as pigments and sunscreens, as insect attractants and repellants, and as antimicrobials and antioxidants.

12,13 The polyphenol group is further divided into subgroups such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. Polyphenols can also be classified as monomeric (molecules containing a single unit) or polymeric (larger molecules containing more than one unit). As described in this section, laboratory studies have found that rooibos tea contains polyphenol antioxidants, including flavonoids and phenolic acids that are potent free radical scavengers.

Flavonoids: The polyphenol antioxidants identified in rooibos tea include the monomeric flavonoids aspalathin, nothofagin, quercetin, rutin, isoquercitrin, orientin, isoorientin, luteolin, vitexin, isovitexin, and chrysoeriol.

Currently, rooibos is the only known natural source of aspalathin.

Nothofagin is similar in structure to aspalathin and has only been identified in one other natural source besides rooibos: the heartwood of the red beech tree (Nothofagus fusca (Hook F.) Oerst, Nothofagaceae), which is native to New Zealand.

A recent analysis of fermented rooibos measured the levels of all the flavonoids listed above except nothofagin. Of the 10 flavonoids measured, the three that occurred in largest amounts were aspalathin, rutin, and orientin, followed by isoorientin and isoquercitrin. Nothofagin was identified by mass spectrometry but was not quantified because a standard was not available. The amount of nothofagin in fermented and unfermented rooibos was estimated to be about three times less than aspalathin in one study.

Aspalathin and nothofagin arepresent in relatively large amounts in unfermented rooibos tea, but some of the aspalathin and nothofagin oxidizes to other substancesduring fermentation; thus, fermented rooibos contains less aspalathin and nothofagin than unfermented rooibos.20 The change in polyphenol composition is the reason the tea changes color with fermentation.

Phenolic Acids: In addition to flavonoid antioxidants, rooibos also contains phenolic acids that have been shown to have antioxidant activity. Like flavonoids, phenolic acids are polyphenol substances that are found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The phenolic acids identified in rooibos tea, in decreasing order of antioxidant activity as measured in one study with the commonly used 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, include caffeic acid, protocatechuic acid, syringic acid, ferulic acid, vanillic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and p-coumaric acid. Using the DPPH assay, caffeic acid was just as active an antioxidant as the most potent flavonoids tested (quercetin, isoquercitrin, and aspalathin).

Total Polyphenol Content: Despite some promotional claims, a serving of rooibos tea has less total polyphenols than the same size serving of green or black tea. Serving size varies, but for comparison purposes a 150 to 200 ml serving is often used (about 3/4 of a standard baking measuring cup). Elizabeth Joubert, Ph.D., specialist researcher at South Africa’s ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij and a rooibos expert, says that the total polyphenol content of an average 150 to 200 ml serving of rooibos tea can be as much as 60 to 80 mg, depending on factors such as the brewing time and amount of leaves used. For comparison, one study found that brewing black tea leaves for 1 to 3 minutes at a concentration of 1 g leaves per 100 ml water resulted in black tea that contains 128 to 199 mg of polyphenols per 200 ml serving of tea.23 The types of polyphenols in rooibos tea are different than those in green and black teas, so the potential health benefits of the teas cannot be compared solely on their total polyphenol content. Rooibos tea does not contain epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is a polyphenol in green tea that has shown anti carcinogenic and antioxidant capabilities, but many of the polyphenols in rooibos tea are also strong antioxidants.

Quercetin and Luteolin: Two of the flavonoids in rooibos tea, quercetin and luteolin, are potent antioxidants found in many fruits and vegetables. Studies in vitro (in the test tube) have shown that these antioxidants can cause cancer cells to "commit suicide," referred to as apoptosis.24-27 Quercetin decreased primary tumor growth and prevented metastasis in a model of pancreatic cancer.25 Luteolin and quercetin inhibited proliferation of thyroid28 and colon29 cancer cells, respectively, in vitro. Quercetin inhibited cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in colon cancer cells, which may help prevent colon cancer.30,31 Both luteolin and quercetin can block the formation of lipid peroxides.

Although studies like these show quercetin and luteolin are strong antioxidants, researchers haven’t yet determined whether enough of either of these two flavonoids are present in rooibos tea and absorbed by the body to have beneficial effects. As shown in Table 1, recent analysis of fermented rooibos found considerably more quercetin than luteolin,19 but even quercetin was present in much lower amounts than aspalathin, orientin, and rutin.

Based on the data in Table 1, a 150 ml serving of fermented rooibos tea made with 2.5 g of tea leaves has about 0.27 mg of quercetin; for comparison, one study found that C. sinensis contains 1.5 to 3.75 mg of quercetin per 150 ml serving of tea.35 A previous study36 found 1.5 mg of quercetin per 150 ml serving of fermented rooibos, but that may be an upper limit. Joubert says that the 1.5 mg estimate is probably high,22 but emphasizes that these estimates will vary with parameters such as the brewing time and the amount of water and tea leaves used. At any rate, the amount of quercetin per serving of rooibos is a small percentage of the total polyphenol content per serving of rooibos.

Aspalathin and Nothofagin: A unique polyphenol that is one of the most abundant monomeric flavonoids in rooibos tea,19,20 aspalathin seems to contribute to the antioxidant capabilities of rooibos, but aspalathin is not as well studied as quercetin and luteolin. Nothofagin is similar in structure to aspalathin and may have similar antioxidant capabilities.

Joubert says that chief research technologist Petra Snijman of the Program on Mycotoxins and Experimental Carcinogenesis (PROMEC) at the Medical Research Council of South Africa recently developed a way to isolate pure aspalathin and nothofagin from rooibos. Joubert says, "According to unpublished in vitro studies done at ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, aspalathin compared well with quercetin in terms of antioxidant activity, except in a fat medium where quercetin demonstrated much higher potency than aspalathin. What is important in these comparative studies is the test environment. Relative efficacy will depend on the test system used (the polarity of the medium, the type of free radical that needs to be scavenged, etc.)."

Joubert co-authored a study that found aspalathin compared well to other antioxidants with the DPPH radical scavenging assay. The study measured the antioxidant capability of many of the flavonoids and phenolic acids found in rooibos tea and compared them to several reference standards such as alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E). The percent inhibition of the DPPH radical by quercetin, isoquercitrin, aspalathin, rutin, luteolin, and alpha-tocopherol was 98.27, 91.99, 91.74, 91.18, 90.85, and 75.10, respectively (using a 0.25 mole ratio of antioxidant to DPPH). All of the flavonoids tested showed potent hydrogen donating abilities with DPPH except for vitexin, which only had a 7.26 percent inhibition even at a 0.5 mole ratio to DPPH.

According to the data in Table 1, a 150 ml serving of fermented rooibos made with 2.5 g of tea leaves has about 3 mg of aspalathin; since the amount of nothofagin was measured to be three times less than aspalathin in one study, a 150 ml serving of fermented rooibos has on the order of 1 mg of nothofagin. A serving of unfermented rooibos has considerably more aspalathin and nothofagin than an equal serving of fermented rooibos because a portion of these flavonoids oxidizes to other substances during fermentation,

Orientin and Rutin: Orientin and rutin are two of the other most abundant monomeric flavonoids in rooibos, and both have been associated with health benefits. Orientin is a potent free radical scavenger. It reduced by half the number of cancer-associated changes in cells of human blood exposed to radiation. When mice were exposed to radiation, orientin protected against lipid peroxidation in the liver and also reduced damage to the bone marrow and gastrointestinal tract. Rutin, a flavonoid found in buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench, Polygonaceae) and some fruits and vegetables, seems to help maintain the strength of capillary walls; oral rutin as well as oral and topical o-(beta-Hydroxylethyl)-rutoside (HR) have been used to treat hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and the lower leg edema associated with venous insufficiency and venous hypertension.41-46 According to the data in Table 1, a 150 ml serving of fermented rooibos tea made with 2.5 g of tea leaves has about 2.5 mg of orientin and 3.2 mg of rutin.

Total Antioxidant Capability: Although the 10 flavonoids in Table 1 are important because they are known to have antioxidant properties, they only represent a small percentage of the total polyphenol content of a serving of fermented rooibos tea. A 150 to 200 ml serving of rooibos can have up to 60 to 80 mg of total polyphenols,22 and Table 1 shows that a 150 ml serving of fermented rooibos made with 2.5 g of leaves has about 14 mg of the 10 flavonoids in the table. Many other polyphenols are present, but they have not all been identified or quantified.

To assess the antioxidant capability of rooibos tea as a whole, researchers compared the antioxidant activity of rooibos tea extracts to that of green and black tea extracts with the DPPH radical scavenging assay as well as the beta-carotene bleaching method. All the teas showed strong antioxidant activity with both methods. Using the DPPH method, the ranking from highest to lowest antioxidant activity was green tea (90.8 percent inhibition), unfermented rooibos (86.6 percent), fermented rooibos (83.4 percent), and black tea (81.7 percent). Green tea was significantly higher than the others (P < 0.05), but the other three teas did not differ from each other significantly with respect to DPPH inhibition. Using the beta-carotene bleaching method, the ranking was green tea, black tea, fermented rooibos, and unfermented rooibos. The relative ranking varies with the type of test because the substance to be tested will have different reactivity to the different oxidizing agents used. These tests only measure the antioxidant capability of substances outside of the body and don’t provide data on whether the antioxidants are absorbed by the body and effective after the food is consumed.

In this study, all the tea extracts were diluted to the same amount of soluble solids rather than to the amounts of solids found in the teas. This method allows a comparison of antioxidant capability on a mass equivalent basis, but does not reflect a comparison of the antioxidant strength of equal volume servings of the teas. Although the soluble solid content varies with the method of tea preparation, it usually decreases in the order green tea, black tea, unfermented rooibos, and fermented rooibos. The percent of soluble solids represented by polyphenols is similar for the four teas and the DPPH antioxidant activity is similar on a mass equivalent basis, so the DPPH antioxidant capability of equal-sized servings will decrease in the order of the soluble solid content.47 Black and green teas have over twice as much soluble solids as rooibos tea when prepared conventionally, so over two 200 ml servings of rooibos tea would need to be consumed to receive the same antioxidant benefit (as measured by DPPH) as one 200 ml serving of black or green tea (or the rooibos would need to be brewed to twice the standard concentration).47 This result agrees with the data given previously for 60 to 80 mg polyphenols for a 150 to 200 ml serving of rooibos tea as compared to 128 to 199 mg polyphenols for a 200 ml serving of black tea.

The studies referenced above show that rooibos tea contains antioxidants that have positive effects when tested as isolated substances and that the tea as a whole has good antioxidant activity in vitro. So, do all these antioxidants in rooibos tea lead to health benefits for tea drinkers?

Rooibos Research in Live Animals and Animal Cells
Laboratory studies have demonstrated potential health benefits of rooibos in vitro (in test tubes) and in vivo (in live animals), but human studies have not been conducted. Much more research is needed, but the studies so far look intriguing.

Fermented Rooibos against Mutagens: Researchers found that fermented rooibos tea reduced cancer-associated changes in animal cells induced by the mutagens benzo[a]pyrene (B(a)P) and mitomycin C (MMC) both in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro part of the study measured chromosomal aberrations in animal cells caused by exposure to the mutagens. The cells were treated with tea extract either at the same time as the mutagen or after the mutagen. Some of the tests used rat liver microsomal enzyme, called S9, to provide metabolic activation of the mutagen; B(a)P requires metabolic activation, but MMC can act with or without it.

Both green tea and rooibos tea suppressed aberrant cells caused by B(a)P and MMC in the presence of S9, but rooibos showed a greater suppression of aberrant cells than did green tea (see Table 2). In fact, when the cells were exposed to B(a)P and S9 simultaneously with rooibos tea, the highest concentration of rooibos tea (1000 microgram/ml) completely inhibited the aberrant cells, bringing their percentage down to the level of the controls that were not exposed to any mutagen. Also, rooibos tea suppressed aberrant cells caused by MMC both with and without the presence of S9, but green tea showed no suppression without S9. Treating the cells simultaneously with the mutagen and tea extract caused a greater protective effect than treating the cells with tea extract following exposure to the mutagen.

In the in vivo part of this study, mice were given oral doses of tea and an injection of B (a)P or MMC. The researchers measured the frequency of micronucleated reticulocytes (MNRETs), which are cells with damaged DNA that may lead to cancer. In one experiment, a single oral dose of tea (1 ml of 0.2 percent green tea or 0.1 percent rooibos tea) was given 6 hours prior to an injection of MMC and the number of MNRETs was counted at 24, 48, and 72 hours after the MMC. Rooibos tea and green tea provided similar inhibition of the frequency of MNRETs. After 48 hours, rooibos tea reduced the level of MNRETs by about 34 percent, and green tea reduced the level by about 38 percent. When the mice received the single dose of tea either after the mutagen or 24 hours prior to the mutagen, neither green tea nor rooibos tea reduced the frequency of MNRETs.

When the teas were given as one oral dose daily for 28 days and then the mutagen was injected on day 29, both rooibos tea and green tea reduced the frequency of MNRETs caused by B(a)P. Daily doses of 0.2 percent green tea reduced MNRETs by about 62 percent 48 hours after B(a)P exposure, and daily doses of 0.1 percent rooibos tea reduced MNRETs by about 49 percent. Daily doses of 0.1 percent rooibos tea reduced MNRETs by about 34 percent 48 hours after MMC exposure, but daily doses of green tea did not provide a significant reduction with MMC.
Fermented Rooibos against Irradiation: Another research group found that extract of fermented rooibos tea reduced cancerous transformation of mouse cells exposed to x-rays in vitro.49 The amount of protection correlated with the dose of rooibos, and an extract concentration of 10 percent reduced the cell transformations to a level similar to the spontaneous level of the controls. Interestingly, green tea in equivalent concentrations did not show any detectable protective effect. In another study, fermented rooibos tea reduced cell damage in live mice that were exposed to irradiation two hours following a single dose of rooibos administered by gastric intubation.

Fermented Rooibos against Brain Lipid Peroxidation: Rats given fermented rooibos tea daily ad libitum (free access) from the age of 3 months to 24 months had greatly reduced age-related lipid peroxide accumulation in four areas of their brains compared to rats that drank plain water.50 Increases in lipid peroxides in the brain may damage neuronal cells and contribute to age-related diseases.50 The lipid peroxide levels were evaluated by measuring the amounts of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in eight regions of the brain. The 24-month-old rats that had been drinking plain water had significantly higher TBARS in the frontal cortex, occipital cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum compared to 5-week-old rats, but the 24-month-old rats that had been drinking rooibos tea had no increase in TBARS in those four areas of the brain. The TBARS of the 24-month-old rooibos group were similar to the TBARS of the young 5-week-old group (see Table 4).The authors give a bar chart that summarizes the TBARS data for each area of the brain.50 The TBARS values in nmol/g for 24-month-old rats without rooibos tea, 24-month-old rats given rooibos tea, and 5-week-old rats, respectively, were approximately 120, 80, 80 in the frontal cortex; 115, 70, 80 in the occipital cortex; 80, 40, 50 in the hippocampus; and 115, 80, 85 in the cerebellum. The authors say these results suggest that the administration of rooibos tea protected several regions of the rat brain against lipid peroxidation accompanying aging. Magnetic resonance images taken of the brain were consistent with the TBARS data.

Fermented vs. Unfermented Rooibos: Another study found that both fermented and unfermented rooibos tea exhibits antimutagenic properties in vitro as measured by the Salmonella typhimurium mutagenicity assay with several different mutagens; the antimutagenic activity was stronger against the metabolically activated mutagens 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) than it was against three direct-acting mutagens.51 Further research showed that the fermentation process causes a decrease in the antimutagenic and antioxidant activity of rooibos tea as measured by the Salmonella typhimurium mutagenicity assay (with 2-AAF), the hydrogen donating ability (assessed with DPPH), and the superoxide anion radical scavenging assay. The researchers suggest that fermented rooibos may show less antioxidant and antimutagenic activity because it has less polyphenols than unfermented rooibos. One analysis showed that polyphenols represent about 41 percent of the total solid matter in unfermented rooibos tea extract, but only about 30 percent of the total solid matter in fermented rooibos tea extract.

One of the authors of both these studies is senior research scientist Jeanine Marnewick of the Program on Mycotoxins and Experimental Carcinogenesis (PROMEC) at the Medical Research Council of South Africa. She says, "Rooibos showed protective effects against DNA damage when tested in an in vitro assay as well as in an in vivo animal system." The in vitro studies found unfermented rooibos was generally more protective against DNA damage than fermented rooibos. But Marnewick says her group’s research shows that fermented rooibos has a stronger effect against some mutagens. She says, "Both the fermented and unfermented rooibos showed a significant protection, and we’re busy elucidating the mechanisms." She is currently evaluating the protective effect of rooibos on liver, esophageal, colon, and skin cancer induced in live animal models. The studies are in the early phases and she cautions, "Very little is known about the effect of rooibos on cancer development."

Joubert also adds a cautionary note, saying that many questions about rooibos still need to be answered. She says that researchers need to determine which of the antioxidant substances in rooibos tea are absorbed by the body and how much tea is needed to produce a measurable benefit. She also emphasizes that no human studies have been conducted yet.

Whole Foods vs. Isolated Antioxidants: The full benefits of teas are likely to come from a combination of all the antioxidants in them rather than from just one substance. Quite a few studies have found that isolated antioxidants don’t have as positive an anticancer effect as the mixture of antioxidants found in natural food sources; whole apple extracts were better than pure quercetin at inhibiting the growth of cancer cells in vitro, tomato powder was better than pure lycopene at extending the life of rats with prostrate tumors, and freeze-dried strawberries exhibited better anticancer properties in animals than did pure ellagic acid. Also, white and green tea extracts demonstrated better antimutagenic properties in vitro than mixtures of nine polyphenols found in the teas (mixed according to their relative proportions in the teas). Researchers believe these results indicate that other substances in the whole food products besides the identified antioxidants probably contribute to the total anticancer effect of the food, and that the relative amounts of all these substances could be important. Different teas have different mixtures of antioxidants, and they will protect against different mutagens. Sorting out all of these interactions will take time.

Rooibos Folklore: What’s proven?
Although rooibos does contain active antioxidants, many of the other health claims made for rooibos tea are not well documented (based only on anecdotal evidence) or are not supported by science. Researchers are still investigating many of these claims to evaluate all the potential benefits of rooibos.

Vitamins and Minerals: Despite some promotional claims that rooibos is a source of vitamin C, Joubert says it is not. "We have tested both the traditional rooibos and green rooibos, and vitamin C was not present," she says.

With the exceptions of fluoride and copper, the trace amounts of minerals in rooibos are not enough to make the tea a meaningful dietary source of minerals for the average consumer. As shown in Table 5, the nutritional labeling that is given on some packages of rooibos tea and on some websites of distributors indicates that the amounts of iron, potassium, zinc, calcium, and magnesium in a 200 ml serving of rooibos tea are all less than 1 percent of the U.S. reference daily intake (RDI). A 200 ml serving of rooibos provides over 5 percent of the RDI of fluoride for adults and over 7 percent of the RDI for copper (see Table 5). Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Policy Institute for Integrative Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland, notes that when rooibos is used as a fluid replacement throughout the day, as is done with some athletes in South Africa, it does provide measurable amounts of several minerals and electrolytes.

Colic, Allergies, And Other Ailments: Distributors of rooibos tea often suggest it can help allergies, sleep problems, digestive problems, headache, and other ailments,but these claims have not been verified by scientific research. If the indigenous people of the Cedarberg region used rooibos tea medicinally, that tradition was lost and rooibos was just enjoyed as a good-tasting beverage until the recent interest in its health benefits. Many of the health claims for rooibos tea began in 1968 when a South African woman, Annekie Theron, found that rooibos tea eased her infant’s colic.10 As the story goes, she found no documentation on the benefits of rooibos and began her own experiments with local babies who had colic and allergies. She concluded that rooibos helped these babies, and she published a book in 1970 titled Allergies: An Amazing Discovery. Since then, she patented a rooibos extract that is now used in cosmetic products, and she started her own line of health and cosmetic products.

Today, South African physicians recommend rooibos for infant colic. South Africans also use it to calm digestive upset in adults, to help induce sound sleep, and topically to sooth eczema, skin allergies, and diaper rash. Not enough research has been done to know if these folk remedies really are effective or to identify the substances in the tea that might be responsible for any observable benefits. Joubert says the tea does seem to help infant colic, but no formal studies have been done.

Immune Function: An in vitro and in vivo study showed that rooibos might enhance immune function, but very little research has been done on this topic. One study found that a polysaccharide in rooibos leaves may have antiviral activity against the HIV virus, but the polysaccharide had to be chemically extracted from the leaves and is not found in tea made by steeping the leaves in water. There’s no evidence that rooibos tea fights the HIV virus.

Zero Caffeine and Low Tannin: Several other health advantages of rooibos tea that are often mentioned are its zero caffeine content and its low tannin content. Because rooibos is naturally caffeine-free, it does not have to be subjected to a decaffeination process and, therefore, does not lose any of its polyphenol content (as occurs when green and black teas are decaffeinated). The zero caffeine content also means rooibos can be enjoyed by those who want to avoid the stimulating effects of caffeine and can be consumed in quantity by those who want to use it as a fluid replacement.

Rooibos only has about 4.4 percent tannin content, which means that it does not have the astringent taste associated with Camellia Sinensis and will not become bitter even after long steeping times. Rooibos tea can be a good alternative to C. sinensis for people who prefer the milder taste of a less astringent herbal tea or for those who have digestive problems with tannin-rich beverages. And as Micozzi observes, some people can receive a higher total antioxidant intake from rooibos than from green or black tea because the low tannin content and caffeine-free nature of rooibos allow it to be consumed in larger quantities.

Iron Absorption: Other disadvantages have been attributed to tannins; they can bind to non-heme iron (iron from non-meat sources), reducing iron absorption, and they can decrease the metabolism and utilization of proteins. Black and green teas reduce the amount of non-heme iron absorbed by the body when the tea is consumed at the same time as the iron source. These effects do not cause problems for most people, but they can cause problems for people who have nutritionally marginal diets or low intake of heme iron sources (meats).

Other polyphenol-rich beverages besides C. sinensis teas can also inhibit iron absorption. One study found that the inhibition of iron was 79 to 94 percent for black tea, 84 percent for peppermint tea, 73 percent for hot cocoa, and 47 percent for tea of chamomile (Matricaria recutita L., Asteraceae). The teas still inhibited iron absorption to the same degree even if milk was added to them. Some of these beverages contain only low levels of tannins, but other polyphenols in foods and beverages can also reduce iron absorption. The ability of polyphenols to chelate prooxidant metal ions might provide some antioxidant protection, but it can also be a disadvantage by decreasing absorption of necessary dietary minerals such as iron.

The low tannin content of rooibos is sometimes used to infer that rooibos tea won’t inhibit iron absorption, but that conclusion is not automatic since rooibos is rich in other polyphenols that might decrease iron absorption. In one small study, three groups of 10 young healthy men were given an oral dose of iron, followed by rooibos tea, C. sinensis tea, or plain water. Iron absorption was measured to be 7.25 percent for rooibos tea, 1.70 percent for C. sinensis tea, and 9.34 percent for plain water. The result for C. sinensis was significant (P < .0001), but the data for rooibos did not reach statistical significance (that is, the data for rooibos were not good enough to determine whether this result can be generalized to the whole population or whether the result was just chance). More studies are needed to better document the effect of rooibos on iron absorption, but this study implies that rooibos might not inhibit iron absorption nearly as much as C. sinensis tea.

The Bottom Line
Rooibos tea has become popular because of its fruity, sweet taste and its caffeine-free, low tannin, antioxidant-rich status. Although more research is needed, rooibos appears to be safe and free of side effects. The antioxidants present in rooibos may help protect against free radical damage that can lead to cancer, heart attack, and stroke. Unfermented (green) rooibos has a higher amount of polyphenols than traditional fermented rooibos and generally demonstrates higher antioxidant and antimutagenic capabilities in vitro. Future research should reveal whether the antioxidant benefits of rooibos observed in vitro and in animals translates into health benefits for humans.

Acknowledgments
The author thanks Elizabeth Joubert, Ph.D., specialist researcher at South Africa’s ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, and Jeanine L. Marnewick, senior research scientist at the Program on Mycotoxins and Experimental Carcinogenesis (PROMEC) at the Medical Research Council of South Africa, for their quotes and technical input, as well as for providing copies of several research papers. Their expertise on rooibos has contributed much valuable information to this article. Lorenzo Bramati, Ph.D., research scientist at the Instituto Tecnologie Biomediche CNR in Italy, provided helpful input and copies of several research papers. Erica Renaud, a member of the quality control program for ASNAPP (Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products) at the Center for New Use Agriculture and Natural Plant Products at Rutgers University provided valuable input and photos. Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Policy Institute for Integrative Medicine, offered helpful review and comments. Rooibos Ltd./SunnRooibos also provided valuable insight and photos.

Laurie Erickson, a freelance writer in Mountain View, California, is interested in the medicinal and horticultural aspects of herbs. She began investigating rooibos out of personal curiosity and has no financial connections with the rooibos industry. Her educational background includes a B.S. in Environmental Earth Science and an M.S. in Geomechanics from Stanford University. She has also written the medical website http://www.tendinosis.org and has been published in the garden section of several newspapers.

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HONEYBUSH
1. Honeybush is a distant relative to the Rooibos plant we discussed above.

2. The scientific name of Honeybush is Cyclopia spp is indigenous to the cape of South Africa, and is grown in the same area as is Rooibos.

3. It is used to make a beverage and a medicinal tea, having a pleasant, mildly sweet taste and aroma, somewhat like honey. It has become internationally known as a substitute for ordinary tea (Camellia sinensis).

4. With the dramatic growth in the use of honeybush during the past five years, export of honeybush tea products is now a major industry, following up on the success of another tea substitute from South Africa-rooibos. South Africa produces only 200 tons of Honeybush tea per year. Not much when compared to the annual Rooibos tea crop of around 4000 tons.

5. This lesser known tea apparently has plenty to offer. Just like the ever popular Rooibos tea, the tannin content of Honeybush tea is very low; and also contains no caffeine at all. Good news for individuals who face water retention is that this inexpensive and readily available tea is reported to stave off hunger pangs and reduce water retention.

History of Honeybush

1. Honeybush is traced back to the tea trade of the Dutch and the British. A settlement, which eventually became Cape Town, was established in 1652 as a supply base for the Dutch East India Company that was trading in Indian tea and Southeast Asian spices.

2. Botanists began cataloguing the rich flora of the cape soon after. The honeybush plant was noted in botanical literature by 1705. Though there are no published reports at that time of its use as a tea by the native populations (the San and Khoi-Khoi tribes, known today as KhoiSan or Bushmen), it was soon recognized by the colonists as a suitable substitute for ordinary tea, probably based on observing native practices. In 1814, the British purchased the Cape Colony from the Dutch, and English became the official language a few years later, helping to spread knowledge of South Africa to England and America.

3. In King's American Dispensatory of 1898, under the heading of tea, honeybush is already listed as a substitute, with reference to a report from 1881 indicating use of honeybush as a tea in the Cape Colony of South Africa. The Khoisan of the South African Cape were also using the tea for treatment of coughs and other upper respiratory symptoms associated with infections.

4. The plant is a shrub of the Fabaceae family (Leguminosae) that grows in the fynbos botanical zone (biome).It is a narrow region along the coast, bounded by mountain ranges. Fynbos is a vegetation type, characterized mainly by woody plants with small leathery leaves (fynbos is from the Dutch, meaning fine leaved plants).

5. The Honeybush plant is easily recognized by its trifoliate leaves, single-flowered inflorescences, and sweetly scented, bright yellow flowers. The flowers have prominent grooves on the petals, a thrust-in (intrusive) calyx base, and two bracts fused at the base around the pedicel. The genus name Cyclopia alludes to the intrusive base of the calyx, which contributes to the flower's unique appearance. Honeybush plants have woody stems, a relatively low ratio of leaves to stems, and hard-shelled seeds. The most desirable components for the tea are the leaves and flowers; the relatively tasteless stems are included.

6. Leaf shape and size differ among the species, but most are thin, needle-like to elongated leaves. All the species are easily recognized in the field as they are covered with the distinctive, deep-yellow flowers, which have a characteristic sweet honey scent. Traditionally, the tea is harvested during flowering-either in early autumn or late Spring-depending on the flowering period of the species. However, with the larger demand for products, some collection is extended into the summer.

7. In 1998, a group of farmers formed the South African Honeybush Producers Association (SAHPA). In the spring of 2001, the first large scale South African plantation dedicated to honeybush began operation in the town of Haarlem. The farm is the result of a joint partnership between South Africa and the U.S. (one of the potential large customers, along with Japan and Canada). The principal organizations involved are the ASNAPP (Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products), Rutgers University (New Jersey), and the Herb Research Foundation (Colorado). The goal is to develop a successful cooperative farm operated by local growers who will cultivate 100,000 or more honeybush plants. Based on a successful start of the Haarlem plantation, another cultivation project was started in Ericaville.

Honeybush Production

The manufacture of honeybush is consistent with the ways of producing Rooibos.
1. The gathering of the raw material from natural field populations often takes days, since many of the plants are harvested in the mountainous regions. Cultivated fields make the harvest much easier. The bushes are often cut to the ground, as this facilitates future harvesting: the plant sprouts readily from the root base. Bushes previously harvested give better material for processing as the stems are softer and have higher leaf-to-stem ratios than older plants preserved by limited cuttings. By contrast, older bushes that are not regularly harvested give too much coarse material due to thicker stems. Ideally, the bushes are harvested every two to three years. Cyclopia bushes that have grown in an area subject to fire show more growth and have more flowers, thus giving good material for the making of tea.

2. The collected shrubs are brought to the factories where they are first chopped by mechanized fodder cutters before curing. Chopping ensures the disruption of cellular integrity and facilitates fermentation, a process that turns the herb material dark brown. Leaves that are not adequately cut often retain a green to light brown color.

3. There are currently two methods for honeybush tea fermentation: using a curing heap or using a baking oven. When large quantities of tea are produced, the common method of honeybush tea fermentation is the use of curing heaps. An oval-shaped heap of approximately 4-5 meters in diameter and 2 meters high is formed from 1.5-2.5 tons of the green honeybush material. The heap is packed firmly, covered with canvas bags, and left for three days to allow spontaneous heat generation and fermentation. Temperature build-up is quick.

4. During the fermentation period, the material changes from green to dark-brown and develops a sweet aroma. From the third day onwards, the heap is turned every 12 hours to ensure that the outer, cooler regions are mixed with the rest of the material; this also prevents oxygen deletion in the heap. The heap is inspected after 3-5 days of fermentation, depending on the species used. If a sweet, honey-like aroma is present and the material has a dark-brown color, the heap is spread out in a thin layer on canvas and allowed to dry in the sun. The tea normally takes 1-2 days to dry.

5. The second way to stop the fermentation process is to use a preheated oven which gives the Honeybush a better and more consistent quality since more precise control over the temperature of the fermentation process is possible. Further, shorter fermentation periods (just 24-36 hours) are needed to obtain fully fermented tea. Baking ovens have been used for more than 100 years. Originally, the material was pre-heated by scalding with hot water, and the drums used as ovens were pre-heated with hot coals before putting the herb material (in bags) into them. More sophisticated techniques are used today. As with the curing heap preparation, after fermentation, the tea is dried in the sun.

6. The final product is put through a rotating cylindrical sieve to remove all the pieces thicker than a matchstick. The finer tea material is used for making teabags, while the coarser material is supplied in bulk for brewing as loose tea.

Health Benefits of Honeybush

1. Honeybush tea is made as a simple herbal infusion.

2. One of its early recognized benefits as a tea substitute is its lack of caffeine, which makes it especially suited for nighttime consumption and for those who experience nervousness and want to avoid ordinary tea. As a result, it had a reputation as a calming beverage, though it may not have any specific sedative properties. It also has a low content of tannins, so it doesn't make a highly astringent tea, which can be a problem with some grades of black or green tea or when ordinary tea is steeped too long.

3. The traditional use of the tea for treating cough may be explained, in part, by its content of pinitol, a modified sugar (a methyl group replaces hydrogen in one position of glucose; see diagram below) that is similar to inositol. Pinitol, named for its major source, pine trees, is also found in the leaves of several legume plants; it is an expectorant. Pinitol is also of interest for apparent blood-sugar lowering effects (3), as demonstrated in laboratory animal studies (it may increase the effects of insulin), and is being considered as a drug for diabetes.

4. Honeybush also contains flavones, isoflavones, coumestans, luteolin, 4-hydroxycinnamic acid, polyphenols, and xanthones (4). These ingredients serve as antioxidants and may help lower blood lipids (5). The isoflavones and coumestans are classified as phytoestrogens, used in the treatment of menopausal symptoms (6), an application for which honeybush has recently been promoted. The flavones and isoflavones of honeybush are similar to those in soy, another leguminous plant, also used in treatment of menopausal symptoms.

5. Luteolin is the primary yellow pigment of the flowers and has been used historically as a dye (most often obtained for this purpose from the plant called Dyer's Weld, Reseda luteola).

6. The tea can be consumed daily, or can be rotated with other beverage teas, such as Rooibos and ordinary tea. For treatment of coughs, or as an aid in regulating blood sugar in diabetes, or helping reduce menopausal symptoms, the tea would be taken several times per day.

REFERENCES
1. Smith M, et al. (compilers), Honeybush, 2001 Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products (ASNAPP), Dennesig, South Africa.
2. van der Walt L. Cyclopia genistoides, 2000 National Botanical Institute, South Africa [http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/cyclopiagenistoides.htm].
3. Bates SH, Jones RB, Bailey CJ, Insulin-like effect of pinitol, British Journal of Pharmacology 2000; 130(8): 1944-1948.
4. Kamara BI, et al., Polyphenols from honeybush tea, Journal Agricultural Food Chemistry 2003; 51(13): 3874-3879.
5. Marnewick JL, et al., Modulation of hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes and oxidative status by rooibos and honeybush, green and black (Camellia sinensis) teas in rats, Journal Agricultural Food Chemistry 2003; 51(27): 8113-8119.
6. Chiechi LM, Dietary phytoestrogens in the prevention of long-term postmenopausal diseases, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 1999; 67(1): 39-40.

Chamomile Tisane

1. Chamomile is one of the most popular herbs in the world, available in a variety of forms.
2. The word chamomile is derived from the Greek chamos (ground) and melos (apple), referring to the plant's low growing habit and the fact that the fresh blooms are somewhat apple-scented (Smith, 1963).
3. The most prominent way this herb is enjoyed is as a tisane, or herbal tea.

Types of Chamomile
1. There are two main a types of Chamomile: Roman and German. Roman chamomile is native to Western Europe and North Africa, flowering in late spring or early July.
2. German chamomile, which was used to make beer, and is indigenous to western Asia.
3. But the most famous Chamomile and the only one we buy at the Tea Garden is the Chamomile grown in Egypt. These roots as we will see have a long history.
4. Egypt provides us with the finest chamomile flowers. They produce the chamomile with the flower heads only as no extenders are included. This is why the Egyptian Chamomile smells so wonderful.

History of Chamomile
1. The first recorded mention of Chamomile being consumed as a beverage was in a document known as the Ebers Papyrus, dating back to 1550 BC. In Ancient Egypt, Chamomile was used to honor the gods, embalm the dead and cure the sick.

2. The Egyptians dedicated the herb to the sun and worshiped it above all other herbs for its healing properties. Hieroglyphic records also show that chamomile was used cosmetically for at least 2,000 years. Egyptian noblewomen used preparations of crushed petals on their skin.

3. The Early Romans also enjoyed Chamomile as a beverage as well as incense. Ironically, the name "Roman Chamomile" does not stem from this time. It rather comes from an arbitrary naming of the herb in the 19th Century by a botanist who happened to find some growing in the Roman Coliseum.

4. The word "Chamomile" as we now know it comes from the ancient Greek kamai-melon, or "ground apple."

5. The Spanish call Chamomile "Manzanilla"-- or "little apple." A leisurely stroll through the famous Chamomile Lawn of BuckinghamPalace is sure to provide this sensation.

6. In the middle Middle Ages it was used as a 'strewing' herb to improve the atmosphere at gatherings and festivals, and to the Anglo Saxons it was one of the 'Nine Sacred Herbs' and known as 'Maythen'.

7. In these times it was also used widely in Beer Making as a bittering ingredient, and it was not until hops took over that function in beer-making that it ceased to be used for this purpose.

8. In the Monasteries the monks during the Middle Ages became the main custodians of herbal knowledge in Europe collecting and translating ancient works on herbal remedies and developing their own. It was at this time that the 'double headed' variety of Anthemis nobilis 'Flora Pleno' is first mentioned, as a milder and less bitter source for tinctures and tisanes and was cultivated in monastery gardens.

Like a chamomile bed -
the more it is trodden
the more it will spread

9. The monks also noticed the plant's property of being beneficial when planted near ailing or sick plants, often aiding a full recovery. This has given Anthemis nobilis the reputation of being 'The Plant's Physician', and studies are currently underway to investigate the causes of this interesting 'virtue'.

10. The Alchemists at this time too, probably originating in the East and soon spreading into Western Europe as part of the development of Alchemy, the techniques of distillation were applied to plant materials as part of the Alchemist's ongoing investigations into the nature of matter. It was from this era that the idea of 'Essences' developed and the name 'Essential Oil' was applied to the oils derived from aromatic plants by distillation. Since the days of the Alchemist, the method of extracting essential oil from aromatic herbs has remained in principle, exactly the same process.

Health Benefits of Chamomile
1. There are many traditional remedies which employ Chamomile. These include everything from a cure for a cough or bronchitis, a fever, inflammation of the skin, liver and gallbladder complaints to appetite stimulator.
2. One herbal medicine guide even claims that if you drink chamomile tea before bed, you won't have nightmares.
3. However, current studies are reinforcing some of these dated claims. A recent report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry confirms that chamomile is an effective anti-inflammatory, sedative and ulcer-fighter. Research also suggests that chamomile may act as an antioxidant and antimicrobial.
4. During the study, researchers tested 14 healthy volunteers who drank five cups of chamomile tea every day for two weeks. They found that drinking tea produced an increase in a substance that helps the body fight off colds.

Healing Benefits of Chamomile
For centuries Chamomile was used for their healing benefits. I remember my own grandmother using our house chamomile for some of the ailments below. Please consult your physician before using any of the formulas below for yourself.
Stomach: A chamomile tisane can be made for digestion, stomach spasms, gas, and stomach aches. Add one or two tablespoons of chamomile flowers to a cup of boiling water and drink slowly, 1/2 a cup at a time. When you make this tisane (tea) remember that you should always let the tea brew in a covered container or else the steam escapes, along with the medicinal value of the flowers.
Bad Dreams: Gypsies believed that chamomile prevented nightmares, so drinking chamomile tea on a bad night may keep the dreams sweet. A little bit of chamomile under the pillow at night would have the same mystical effect.
Antiseptic: Mrs. M. Grieves writes in A Modern Herbal that the "antiseptic powers of Chamomile are stated to be 120 times stronger than sea-water." Sea water is a natural way to clean out any cut, scrape or wound. Use hot chamomile paste applied to inflamed, sore, or swollen areas to reduce the irritation and redness. You can make the paste by adding a little hot water to to the flowers and grinding them with a mortar and pestle. Combine with an equal amount of crushed poppy heads for an even more powerful poultice.
Hair: A strong infusion of chamomile can be used to subtly add golden highlights to ashy brown hair. My own sister used chamomile during the winter months to lighten her natural blond hair. According to Buchman (Herbal Medicine) chamomile can be combined with henna to "add beautiful highlights to dark hair".
Skin: Steaming the face with chamomile is a wonderful way to have your own at-home facial. Bring some water to a boil and remove it from the heat, then pour it in a wide bowl. Add a generous amount of chamomile flowers. Turn your face down towards the bowl and drape a towel over your head to keep the steam in. Steam for 15-20 minutes. This will open the pores and gently release any trapped dirt. Rinse face with lukewarm water immediately after steaming.
Pain: Applying a chamomile paste will help ease pain in sores and swellings. An infusion can be added to a bath to relieve sore and aching body parts.
Insect Repellant: A strong tea can be poured in a spray-bottle and sprayed on exposed skin to repel flies, gnats, and mosquitoes. This is a good natural alternative to store-bought chemical repellants.

Some Other Documented Uses:
• Indigestion
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Canker sores
• Colic
• Conjunctivitis, eye irritations
• Crohn's disease
• Diarrhea
• Eczema
• Gingivitis
• Hemorrhoids
• Menstrual disorders
• Migraine
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Peptic ulcer
• Skin irritations
• Ulcerative colitis
• Minor wounds

"..... Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed, and made some chamomile tea and she gave a dose of it to Peter."
From The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Herbal Mint Tea

After lengthy research Dr. Tea has found a wonderful article on herbal Mint Tea which was used in making the following article:

Peppermint." Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Thomson Gale, 2006. eNotes.com. 2006. 18 Jun, 2006 http://health.enotes.com/alternative-medicine-encyclopedia/ peppermint

1. Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is an aromatic perennial plant that grows to a height of about 3 ft (1 m). It has light purple flowers and green leaves with serrated edges.

2. Peppermint belongs to the Lamiaceae family and grows throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. There are more than 25 species of true mint grown throughout the world. We at the Tea garden purchase American Peppermint for our Herbal Mint Tea.

3. The plant is harvested when the oil content is highest. When ready for harvest, it is always collected in the morning, before noon sun reduces the leaf essential oil content. This generally takes place shortly before the plant blooms, which occurs in the summer (July through August) or during dry, sunny weather. The United States is responsible for producing 75% of the world's supply of peppermint.

History of Mint Tea
1. Peppermint is a natural hybrid of water mint (Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (Mentha spicata) and was first cultivated in England in the late seventeenth century.

2. The herb has been used as a remedy for indigestion since Ancient Egyptian times. In fact, dried peppermint leaves were found in Egyptian pyramids dating back to 1000 B.C.

3. The ancient Greeks and Romans valued it as a stomach soother.

4. During the eighteenth century, peppermint became popular in Western Europe as a folk remedy for nausea, vomiting, morning sickness, respiratory infections, and menstrual disorders.

5. Peppermint was first listed in the London Pharmacopoeia in 1721. In modern times it appears in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia as a remedy for intestinal colic, gas, colds, morning sickness, and menstruation pain.

Properties of Mint Tea
1. Peppermint is a cooling, relaxing herb that contains properties that help ease inflamed tissues, calm muscle spasms or cramps, and inhibit bacteria and microorganisms. It also has pain-relieving and infection-preventing qualities.

2. The medicinal parts of peppermint are derived from the whole plant, and include a volatile oil, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and triterpenes. The plant is primarily cultivated for its oil, which is extracted from the leaves of the flowering plant.

3. The essential oil contains the principal active ingredients of the plant: menthol, menthone, and menthyl acetate. Menthyl acetate is responsible for peppermint's minty aroma and flavor. Menthol, peppermint's main active ingredient, is found in the leaves and flowering tops of the plant. It provides the cool sensation of the herb.

4. The menthol content of peppermint oil determines the quality of its essential oil. This varies depending upon climate, habitat, and where the peppermint is grown. For instance, American peppermint oil contains 50–78% menthol, while English peppermint oil has a menthol content of 60–70%. Japanese peppermint oil contains 85% menthol. Peppermint and its oils help with intestinal function.

5. Peppermint also contains vitamins A and C, magnesium, potassium, inositol, niacin, copper, iodine, silicon, iron, and sulfur.

Health Benefits of Mint Tea
Peppermint and headaches
Peppermint's pain-relieving effects on headaches have been known for many years. The first documented report to link peppermint and headache relief was published in 1879. A more recent study took place in Germany in 1996. In this double-blind study, researchers found that an ethanol solution containing 10% peppermint oil was as effective in relieving headache pain as 1,000 mg of acetaminophen. In another study, 32 people with headaches massaged peppermint oil on their temples. The results showed that the peppermint oil significantly relieved their pain.

When applied to the skin, peppermint reduces sensitivity and relieves pain. Rubbed on the temples, across the forehead, and behind the neck, peppermint oil helps to ease digestive-related headaches and migraines by generating a cooling effect on the skin and relaxing cranial muscles.

Peppermint as a digestive aid
Peppermint is employed in the treatment of various digestive ailments, such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, liver and gallbladder complaints, loss of appetite, spastic colon, diarrhea, gas, bloating, colic, cramps, and heartburn. The infused herb tea of peppermint or a few drops of its essential oil stimulate the flow of digestive juices and the production of bile, a substance that helps to digest fats. This eases indigestion, relieves gas, reduces colon spasms, and eases motion sickness and nausea. When peppermint is taken after a meal, its effects will reduce gas and help the digestion of food by reducing the amount of time the food is in the stomach. This is one reason after-dinner mints are so popular.

The compounds of the essential oil have antispasmodic properties that reduce spasms of the colon and intestinal tract and relax the stomach muscles. Peppermint has a soothing effect on the lining and muscles of the colon, which helps to relieve diarrhea and spastic colon.

Menthol acts to stimulate the stomach lining. Its cooling properties soothe the stomach and ease stomach pain. Peppermint oil is popular in the treatment of motion and sea sickness and nausea associated with pregnancy. It acts as an anesthetic to the stomach wall and eases vomiting and nausea. An account on the effects of peppermint on nausea appeared in the September 1997 issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing, in which gynecological patients were given peppermint oil to counter post-operative nausea. The patients reported less nausea and required fewer drugs to treat the nausea.

A German health commission, German Commission E, has endorsed peppermint tea as a treatment for indigestion. Clinical trials in Denmark and Britain in the 1990s confirmed peppermint's actions as a therapeutic treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. In 1996, a German study was performed to research the therapeutic benefits of peppermint essential oil on irritable bowel syndrome. Subjects with irritable bowel syndrome were given enteric-coated capsules containing peppermint and caraway oils. Results showed that the pain symptoms, which ranged from moderate to severe, improved in 89.5% of the group.

Peppermint and Respiratory Ailments
Peppermint is an expectorant and decongestant. It is used to help treat many respiratory ailments including asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, and coughs.

Peppermint is an element of many cough preparations, not only for its pleasant flavor, but also because it contains compounds that help ease coughs. Constituents of peppermint increase the production of saliva, causing frequent swallowing and suppressing the cough reflex.

German Commission E has officially recognized peppermint's ability to reduce inflammation of nasal passageways. When menthol vapors are inhaled, nasal passageways are opened to provide temporary relief of nasal and sinus congestion.

Peppermint essential oil is an ingredient in many commercial chest and cold rubs. These are popularly rubbed onto the chest to ease congestion.
A tea made from the leaves can stimulate the immune system and relieve the congestion of colds, flu’s, and upper respiratory infections.

Other Health Conditions & Mint Herbal Tea
Peppermint is an effective relaxant and can be helpful in treating nervous insomnia, stress, anxiety, and restlessness.

Many over-the-counter balms and liniments contain peppermint essential oil. These are applied externally to relieve muscle pain, arthritis, itching, and fungal infections.

Peppermint induces sweating and can help bring down fevers. It is said that it contains antioxidants that help prevent cancer and heart disease. The essential oil is a powerful antiseptic and is useful in treating bad breath and sore throats. It is also beneficial in preventing tooth decay and gum disease.

A plant with potent antiviral properties, peppermint can help fight viruses that cause ailments such as influenza, herpes, yeast infections, and mumps. Peppermint is also used as an earache remedy, to dissolve gallstones, to ease muscle tightness, and to ease menstrual cramps.

A 2002 report announced that peppermint also helped participants in a study run faster do more pushups and show greater grip strength than those who were not exposed to peppermint scent. Although researchers concluded the effect may have been psychological, a result of peppermint is the effect on mood and increased motivation, it still resulted in measurable performance improvement.

Aromatherapy and Peppermint Tea
The essential oil of peppermint is a pale yellow or greenish liquid that is made by distilling the flowering herb. When inhaled, the oil can reduce fever, relieve nausea and vomiting, improve digestion, and soothe the respiratory system. Various studies have been performed on the oil's ability to improve the sense of taste and smell and improve concentration and mental acuity when inhaled.

The oil blends well with other essential oils such as benzoin, rosemary, lavender, marjoram, lemon, eucalyptus, and other mints. Essential oils are available at many health food stores or through a qualified aromatherapist.

Peppermint essential oil can be used in several ways: inhaled, rubbed on reflexology points on the bottom of the feet, diffused into the air, or as a therapeutic bath.

Below are some applications for the use of peppermint essential oil:

• Steam inhalation for congestion relief: A few drops of the essential oil of peppermint are placed in a large bowl of hot water. The person should cover his or her head with a towel, lean over the bowl, and inhale the steam.
• Motion sickness: A few drops of essential oil should be places on a tissue and inhaled.
• Headaches: A few drops can be placed on a cool, wet towel and used as a compress on the forehead. Or, massaged into the neck, back, temples, and/or forehead.
• Digestion: Several drops of diluted oil massaged on the stomach or the pure oil rubbed onto the bottoms of the feet.
• Breath freshener: Several drops placed on the tongue.
• Therapeutic bath: Several drops of diluted oil placed into a tepid bath to relieve stomach complaints, nasal congestion, headache, or menstrual cramps. If essential oil is not available, a bath can be made by adding to the water a cloth bag filled with several handfuls of dried or fresh peppermint leaves.

As with any essential oil, caution should be taken when using it. Essential oils are highly concentrated and should be diluted with a vegetable oil prior to external use to prevent adverse reactions, as some people are allergic to peppermint or its essential oil. The oil may cause a skin reaction if the dosage is excessive. Avoid contact with the eyes.

Precautions with Mint Tea
Extreme caution should be used when administering to children under five years of age as the menthol can cause a choking reaction in young children.
Peppermint oil should not be applied to the faces of infants or small children. The essential oil of peppermint should not be ingested unless under professional supervision. Pure menthol or pure peppermint should not be ingested. Pure peppermint may cause an irregular heartbeat. Pure menthol is poisonous and fatal in doses as small as 1 tsp.

Pregnant women with a history of miscarriage should use peppermint with caution. Large amounts of peppermint may trigger a miscarriage. Additional caution should be practiced by women who are breast-feeding their infants.

Side effects of Mint Tea
1. If the essential oil is not used properly it can cause dermatitis and other allergic reactions.
2. Rare reactions to enteric-coated capsules may occur. These reactions include skin rash, heartburn, slow heart rate, and muscle tremors.
3. Large internal doses of peppermint essential oil may result in kidney damage.

Resources:

BOOKS
• Foster, Steven, and Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D. Tyler's Honest Herbal. The Haworth Herbal Press, 1999.

PERIODICALS
• Moxey, Beth."A Peppermint Twist: New Research Shows that a Whiff of Peppermint May Improve Your Running (Health and Fitness)." Runnerís World (January 2002): 21.
• "Peppermint Oil and Tea Best for Nose and Stomach, Not Lungs." Environmental Nutrition (January 1997):7.
• Siegel–Maier, Karyn. "Peppermint: More Than Just Another Pretty Flavor." Better Nutrition (February 1998): 24.

by Dr. Tea (tm), Tea Expert