38 replies to this topic

[motorcitykid]

I think rooibos tea kinda flies under the radar, and deserves more attention:

http://www.hubmed.or...i?uids=19419525


Could potentially aid in preventing DNA damage:

http://www.hubmed.or...i?uids=15630213


I highly reccommend rooibos tea, pariticularly if your feeling stressed and want to boost your mood (try it with some dark chocolate if you want that extra kick). For me, it has a noticeable cognitive enhancing, soothing effect- more so than green tea. I drink it daily, and enjoy the sweet, fruity taste.

Try dropping two teabags instead of one and double the happiness-
.

Cheers, Brothers!

[tunt01]

not sure i agree that the cognitive effects of rooibos are better. i have some, but i hate drinking it. it feels like im drinking clay-flavored tea.

 

EDIT:  I think I had a bad batch on my first order.  I've since found it pretty appealing.  However, I am wary of the fluoride content.

Edited by prophets, 19 December 2016 - 07:59 PM.

[motorcitykid]

not sure i agree that the cognitive effects of rooibos are better. i have some, but i hate drinking it. it feels like im drinking clay-flavored tea.

I've been experimenting with rooibos and green tea. When I'm stressed out, a cup of red rooibos works slightly better for me then green tea. Lately, Ive been mixing them together.

I'm not sure how rooibos exerts it's effects. It contains no theanine, so It could be that the mood-boosting effects in rooibos are directtly attributed to the increase in SOD, or due to the unique types of flavanoids specific to rooibos- one of which purportedly improves circulation.

It also has a relatively high mineral content (maybe that's the "clay-flavor" you're picking up on).

[Luminosity]

I like the taste of green rooibos better. I don't find it enhances cognition or has many strong effects. Taken room temperature green rooibos is somewhat cooling on a hot day. In Chinese medicine plain hot drinks are good for you and rooibos and honeybush tea are free of caffeine, and have less tannins and acids than tea. That's why I take them, but I don't think they do that much, at least for me. Honeybush tea is like red rooibos but I like the flavor better. Numi is a good brand for all of these.

Edited by Luminosity, 17 June 2013 - 01:42 AM.

[motorcitykid]

Based on the abstract below, Rooibos suplemented rats had significantly lower corticosterone levels(35%)then non-supplemented rats.

I'm wondering, can lower corticosterone in rats translate to lower cortisol levels in humans? If so, that could be a contributor to the stress relieving effects some people experience.

There was also a significantly higher level of testosterone in rooibos supplemented rats.

I lifted the folowing abstract from a loooong pdf;


116 | P a g e


ABSTRACT 87
M Roos, AC Swart, L Schloms, C Smith.

The effect of Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) on adrenal glucocorticoid and cytokine
secretion.
Rooibos (Linearis Aspalathus) has been anecdotally reported to alleviate depres
sion, anxiety
and insomnia – all ailments associated with stress.
However, very little data is available on
the effects of Rooibos on stress-related endocrine
function. Recently, Rooibos has been
show to alter adrenal steroid synthesis pathways in

in vitro models. Similarly, to our
knowledge only 3 published studies have reported ef
fects of Rooibos on cytokine secretion –these were limited to cell culture studies or blood analysis for isolated cytokines, so that interpretation of results is very limited. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate in rats whether or not Rooibos may exert anti-inflammatory properties, and to what extent this may be associated with the anecdotal stress-relief effect of the tea. Therefore, we investigated the effect of oral Rooibos supplementation on steroid hormone synthesis and
cytokine production at target tissue (adrenal) level in male Wistar rats. Rats were
supplemented with 2 g dried unfermented Rooibos ext
ract/ ml/kg body mass/day (equivalent
of 6 cups of tea), divided into 2 dosages daily, fo
r 10 days. After Rooibos supplementation,
rats exhibited≈35% lower plasma concentrations of corticosterone (P<0.05) and≈30% higher levels of testosterone when compared to placebo rats.
In addition, effects of Rooibos on tissue level expression of IL-6 and IL-10 will be presented.

Edited by motorcitykid, 18 June 2013 - 05:31 AM.

[daouda]

Another good tasting "tea" (of course it's a matter of personal taste) that increases SOD is jiaogulan/gynostemma... If their flavors combine well (haven't tried it) it could maybe be a good idea to mix both rooisbos and gynostemma to make a special 'SOD boosting" tea

[motorcitykid]

Another good tasting "tea" (of course it's a matter of personal taste) that increases SOD is jiaogulan/gynostemma... If their flavors combine well (haven't tried it) it could maybe be a good idea to mix both rooisbos and gynostemma to make a special 'SOD boosting" tea

Jiaofulan? Cool. Is there a reference for the higher SOD levels?

[daouda]

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/22864747
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/22516894
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20819446
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20615455
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20106643
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20163293

[motorcitykid]

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/22864747
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/22516894
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20819446
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20615455
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20106643
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20163293

That's a pretty hardcore list. I wish I would've known about it sooner.

Jiaongulan and rooibos teas are udnerappreciated, IMO. Solid in-vitro studies smacking us in the face, but there's very little discussion about it. Why? Because it's not fancy enough? Maybe it doesn't have the pill-popping appeal of the latest and greatest supplement-- which usually ends up having very little, if any solid data to back up its claims.

Well, it's tea time for me. Thanks for the info Dauouda.

[Logic]

I live in SA so its in the cupboard.
I have been drinking it at night. (coffee then green tea during the day)
I suppose I've always been asleep to the effects.

Maybe I'll start mixing the two.
jiaogulan/gynostemma looks good. Reading the links now

[Luminosity]

Gymnostemma didn't agree with me. It's not for everyone.

[motorcitykid]

Gymnostemma didn't agree with me. It's not for everyone.

Did it give you an upset stomach or something? What type of symptoms did it cause?

[daouda]

I'd be interested to know as well, as I can't imagine what adverse effect it could induce (like most ppl I tolerate it perfectly, can drink it at any time of the day with no negative effect)

[Luminosity]

It wasn't an upset stomach. I don't remember specifically. Some Chinese medicines just have the wrong energy for a certain person at a certain time. They can be too yin or yang. It was probably too yin for me.

[MizTen]

It behaves a little bit like an adaptogen for me. Brewed strong and with chai spices, it is an incredibly warming and comforting winter drink with cream and honey. Good quality rooibos is not only an adaptogen, but when drunk in large quantities, is a strong nootropic with very pleasant sensory, mood, and cognitive enhancements that last for about 3 hours. It causes no jittery feelings or irritable come-down even when blended with white tea.

I've never taken it for more than a couple days in strong doses that way, mostly because I didn't fully appreciate at that time what to with the nootropic effects it has.

Now, with my relatively newfound noot smarts, I would take it that way with a plan to do something to make the best use of the effects.

[motorcitykid]

It behaves a little bit like an adaptogen for me. Brewed strong and with chai spices, it is an incredibly warming and comforting winter drink with cream and honey. Good quality rooibos is not only an adaptogen, but when drunk in large quantities, is a strong nootropic with very pleasant sensory, mood, and cognitive enhancements that last for about 3 hours. It causes no jittery feelings or irritable come-down even when blended with white tea.

I've never taken it for more than a couple days in strong doses that way, mostly because I didn't fully appreciate at that time what to with the nootropic effects it has.

Now, with my relatively newfound noot smarts, I would take it that way with a plan to do something to make the best use of the effects.

I drop about an ounce into a teaball before taking on some form of mentally taxing duties. At times, I find it that it spikes my creativity. For best results, I mix it with green tea and munch on a "Wild Bar"(raw dark chocolate and crystal manna)

Do you brew fermented(red) or unfermented(green) rooibos?

[Thorsten3]

He shou wu, gynostemma, polyrachis ant and chaga all increase it.

Chaga, is the most potent out of all of them.

Chaga, is only behind chocolate in its antioxidant capability.

Edited by Thorsten2, 15 July 2013 - 02:34 PM.

[Thorsten3]

Anyone else notice an insane boost in libido, from drinking this shit? I am currently drinking about 10 tea bags per day (2 at a time) of a basic supermarket grade redbush tea. All I have noticed is a decent mood lift (nothing dramatic) and a huge boost in libido, sexual function (erections are a lot harder).

It is the only thing I have added recently. It is definitely the rooibos.

i know it increases testosterone in rats but the results I am seeing could down to any mechanism at play, to be honest. Very interesting, though.

Edited by Thorsten2, 29 August 2013 - 11:17 AM.

[lemonhead]

I wish I could drink rooibos, but it gives me hearburn. I noticed this even before I got GERD (now it seems like almost everything gives me hearburn).

Edited by lemonhead, 29 August 2013 - 11:44 AM.

[blood]

I notice that Swansons actually has a Rooibos Red Tea Extract:
http://www.swansonvi...-100-mg-30-caps

Unfortunately the capsules are standardised for gallic acid, not aspalathin.

The capsules contain 100mg of extract - how many cups of rooibos tea is that equivalent to??

Question: how do you pronounce "Rooibos"? IRL I refer to it as "Red Bush tea" so I don't reveal my ignorance through an egregious mispronunciation...

[RJ23_1989]

Fascinating info on Roobios. Thanks!

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[Logic]

Question: how do you pronounce "Rooibos"? IRL I refer to it as "Red Bush tea" so I don't reveal my ignorance through an egregious mispronunciation...

Rooi: Oi! you over there. With an R on he front.

Bos: pronounce the O like the 2nd letter gorgeous.

[blood]

Question: how do you pronounce "Rooibos"? IRL I refer to it as "Red Bush tea" so I don't reveal my ignorance through an egregious mispronunciation...

Rooi: Oi! you over there. With an R on he front.

Bos: pronounce the O like the 2nd letter gorgeous.

Thank you!

[Luminosity]

Some of the good effects are from drinking hot plain drinks, which are good for you in Chinese medicine. Also the lack of caffeine and acids. I don't get that much more out of it but it's not bad for you. I sometimes combine green Rooibos with Honeybush tea, and maybe a few grains of sea salt and a few flakes of red pepper so it won't be too yin. Sometimes I combine green Rooibos with green tea. The red Rooibos has a wormy taste, for me, a lot of the time.

[drew_ab]

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/24387279

Thoughts on this?

[Hebbeh]

Worthless petri dish experiment.  Unlikely that concentration can be achieved in vivo in your testes and certainly not for 24 hours continuous.  Pour anything on cells in a dish and baste for 24 hours and what does any sane person expect to happen?  Take home message....don't steep your balls in your tea...and certainly not for 24 hours.

 

TM3 Leydig cell cultures were treated with 250-5000 μg mL-1 A. linearis (unfermented or fermented rooibos) or Camellia sinensis (green or black tea) for 24 h

 

 

[drew_ab]

I'm wondering if anyone has any additional thoughts on Rooibos tea?

[ironfistx]

Could something that reduces cortisol cause an increase in cortisol if you discontinue using it?

[motorcitykid]

You'll most likely revert back to whatever your initial baseline level of cortisol was.

[nowayout]

My family has been drinking rooibos for generations. Nobody so far has lived particularly long though. Nobody has had any cancer (so far, touch wood) for generations, but they have tended to die from cardiovascular issues, in some cases quite early despite generally good diets. 

 

I grew up drinking it daily and nowadays I stop and start rooibos periodically. I don't feel any difference from drinking it, or from not drinking it.

 

I think it is probably a healthy dietary addition but I doubt it is really any more medicinal than, say, eating some salad, unless perhaps the person's diet is otherwise terrible.

Edited by nowayout, 18 May 2016 - 04:27 PM.