South African Rooibos Council - Rooibos Research Around the World

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Rooibos Research Around the World

Several research groups around the world have invested time and money in investigating the health benefits of Rooibos, resulting in a steady increase in the number of Rooibos research articles in the international scientific literature in the past 10 to 15 years. [see Research References ]

The Japanese research fraternity has taken an especially keen interest in the health-boosting properties of Rooibos and published a number of research reports since 1990. More recently, some interesting findings have been reported from Pakistan and Slovakia.

The product’s reported antioxidant properties and medicinal value have given Rooibos a great deal of credibility and exposure in health-conscious markets abroad. Most of the studies to date have been done on laboratory animals, such as rats.

Key findings reported include: [see Research References ]

Rooibos and heart health

Chrysoeriol, an antioxidant in Rooibos, can prevent and treat vascular disease in people. This is the latest findings from scientists in Japan where Rooibos has been extensively researched in the past 20 years. Chrysoeriol is able to inhibit the migration of smooth muscle cells inside the aorta, a key cause of atherosclerosis (narrowing or hardening of the arteries. The research was done on human aorta cells. They recommend the use of chrysoeriol to prevent and treat the repeated narrowing of blood vessels following coronary angioplasty. During angioplasty a small balloon is used to open up a blocked or narrowed heart artery.

Rooibos to treat inflammatory bowel disease - also in children

Oxidative stress in the body can lead to inflammation and several other diseases. Japanese researchers are recommending Rooibos as a safe and useful way to reduce oxidative stress, especially also in children. A group of researchers from Tokyo’s Juntendo University School of Medicine published their findings in the journal Peadiatrics International, March 2009. This study focused on colitis, a disease causing open sores (ulcers) in the colon. They found that Rooibos was able to increase antioxidant activity, thereby reducing the damage caused to DNA by oxidative reactions.

Rooibos and brain tissue

Rats given free access to Rooibos from the age of 3 to 24 months had far less oxidative damage in brains compared to rats that drank plain water. This could possibly open the door for the treatment of Alzheimer’s with Rooibos.

Rooibos and immune systems

Researchers have shown that Rooibos promotes the production of antibodies when immune systems are challenged either in vitro or in vivo. This could also open up a new area of exploration regarding Rooibos.

Rooibos’ anti viral properties

Rooibos delays the recurrence of herpes simplex virus in humans. There is still a huge potential for future research into the anti-viral properties of Rooibos.

Rooibos skin deep

Some Rooibos studies have shown Rooibos inhibits (slows down) certain inflammatory skin diseases and makes the skin less sensitive to damage from the sun.

Rooibos and liver disease

A team of researchers in the Slovak Republic investigated the therapeutic value of Rooibos in an rat model concluded that the consumption of Rooibos as a rich source of natural antioxidants could be recommended as a readily available, safe and effective hepatoprotector (a substance to help protect the liver) in patients with liver diseases. Their findings were published in the Journal of Physiology Research in 2004.

Rooibos and cancer research abroad

Laboratory studies (in vitro) have shown that quercetin and luteolin, two of the flavonoids in Rooibos, are potent antioxidants that can cause cancer cells to "commit suicide" (a process referred to as apoptosis). Quercetin also slowed down tumour growth and prevented metastasis (spreading of the disease to other parts of the body) in study on cancer of the pancreas. Luteolin and quercetin slowed down the increase in thyroid and colon cancer cells, respectively. Although studies like these show quercetin and luteolin are strong antioxidants, they are only present in very low quantities in Rooibos. Researchers have not yet determined whether enough of either of these two flavonoids are present in Rooibos and absorbed by the body to have beneficial effects. Orientin, another abundant flavonoid in Rooibos, is a potent free radical scavenger. It halved the number of cancer-associated changes in human blood cells that have been exposed to radiation.

Medicinal use of Rooibos as bronchodilator, to lower blood pressure; and as agent to combat abdominal spasms and diarrhoea

In December 2006 researchers at the Aga Khan University Medical College in Kararachi, Pakistan published a study in the European Journal of Nutrition, concluding that there was a sound basis for the wide medicinal use of Rooibos. Their study focused on the possible effects of Rooibos to lower blood pressure, as well as its possible use as a bronchodilator and antispasmodic. The researchers worked on tissue preparations as well as animal models. In another research article, published in November 2006, researchers from the same university reported on the use of Rooibos to relieve abdominal spasms and diarrhoea. Based on animal models, they concluded that it was justified to use Rooibos to treat hyperactive gastrointestinal disorders.

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