Tea Roybos

The name rooibos translates to “red bush”. It is a South African plant of the legume family. It is brewed like ordinary tea: for one cup (200-250 ml) take 1 full teaspoon of dry rooibos, put it in a teapot for brewing and pour boiling water. Boil for 2-3 minutes, then strain and pour into the glass. A filter or very thick strainer should be used for straining, as the rooibos particles are very fine and pass through the larger strainers.

Rooibos is famous as a drink for athletes: in South Africa it is often drunk for this purpose as well. The reason is that, thanks to its rich mineral content, rooibos successfully replenishes the body’s reserves used up during heavy physical exertion.

A few glasses of iced tea before, during and after sports or other physical activities restore energy losses and prevent unpleasant symptoms, such as muscle stiffness.

Three cups of rooibos per day cover one third of the daily iron requirement of the human body. It is very suitable for vegetarians, whose diet without the use of meat can lead to a deficiency of this element and to anemia. The advantage of rooibos in this respect is that it contains not only a lot of iron, but also a sufficient amount of copper and vitamin C, which allow the body to better absorb iron, thus improving blood-forming functions.

Unlike black tea, rooibos contains almost no tannins, which limit the body’s ability to use iron. That is why it must be present in the menu of people in need of larger amounts of iron. These are primarily women during pregnancy and lactation, as well as with heavy menstrual periods, with which they lose a lot of blood.

Sodium and potassium are equally important for human health. They are involved in controlling water in the body and in muscle function. However, sodium predominates in the daily diet. With a pronounced imbalance between these two factors, edema, water retention in the tissues and weakening of muscle abilities occur. One of the most serious consequences of this is high blood pressure.

Thanks to its composition, in which potassium slightly exceeds sodium, rooibos is an excellent means of correcting any imbalance between the two elements.

The “red bush” contains a relatively high amount of vitamin C. Much has been written about this vitamin. It is known to be related to immune protection, neutralization of free radicals (and therefore to the prevention of cancer and rheumatic diseases), reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, calcium and iron absorption, etc.

One cup of rooibos (200 ml) supplies up to 30 mg of vitamin C, which covers the daily requirement of the body. But this amount can fluctuate widely because of the vitamin’s sensitivity to light and heat.

The plant contains quercetin and quercetin, which belong to the group of flavonoids. They improve sleep and mood, help neutralize substances that block the activity of serotonin – so-called. happiness hormone. These substances stop the development of bowel cancer and, together with other ingredients contained in rooibos, lower blood sugar levels.

Rooibos has a naturally sweet fruity taste without containing sugars. Its sweetness is primarily due to two unique flavonoids not found in any other plant.

All these beneficial properties, combined with the wonderful color and subtle taste and aroma of rooibos, make it a favorite everyday drink for more and more people.