R4.5m poured into research on health benefits of rooibos tea

The research explores how rooibos could combat heart disease, skin disease, obesity, blood pressure, allergies and other ailments.

Could six cups of rooibos a day keep the doctor away?

The SA Rooibos Council (SARC) is investigating how rooibos tea could help tackle disease in a research initiative injected with R4.5 million.

SARC reasearch director Joe Swart explains that the research explores how rooibos could combat cardiovascular disease, skin disease, obesity, chronic inflammation, stress, blood pressure, allergies and other ailments.

Scientists will investigate the healing properties of the indigenous tea to help provide credible data about how it contributes to a healthy lifestyle.

Swart says that there are plenty rooibos products that make wild claims that are not backed up by clinical studies.

We're looking at the components of rooibos.

Joe Swart, Research Director - SA Rooibos Council

We don't want rooibos to be the magic drug that's going to heal all diseases, but there's a lot of positive research coming out.

Joe Swart, Research Director - SA Rooibos Council

We're moving our studies onto clinical trials and we want to have the scientific data behind the product.

Joe Swart, Research Director - SA Rooibos Council

Swart says the findings of the first rooibos clinical trials will be published by 2022.

Listen to the discussion on The John Maytham Show:

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