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| Red Tea |
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Basics
A type of tea known by Westerners as Black tea and made from the completely oxidized bud leaves of Camellia sinensis. This tea type is commonly known in some Asian cultures as Red tea. South African people discovered the healing power of red tea thousands of years ago. They fermented the needles of the Rooibos plants that are indigenous to their beautiful Cederberg mountains. During the natural fermentation process, the needles turn a deep red color and take on their sweet, smooth flavor.Research has shown that delicious Red Tea made from the native shrubs is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids. In South Africa, the tea has been used to alleviate queasiness, sleeplessness and baby colic. |
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| Symptoms of Red Tea |
| Rooibos is known to benefit in the management of allergies like hay fever, asthma and eczema. Rooibos has a soothing effect on the skin, relieving itching and certain skin irritations like eczema, diaper rash and acne when directly applied to the affected area.Rooibos is low in tannin and therefore does not prohibit the absorption of iron and proteins into the body. Since Rooibos contains no oxalic acid, it can be drunk freely by people suffering from kidney stones. |
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| Benefits of Red Tea: |
| Red tea is the name the Chinese use for what we in the west call black tea. All true tea comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The differences between types of tea result from different methods of processing the leaves. For green tea, the tea leaves are steamed, rolled and dried, a method that preserves the content of polyphenols, antioxidant compounds that confer the well-known health benefits of tea. For black tea, the leaves undergo a process of oxidation that changes the color and flavor and reduces the content of polyphenols. Oolong is intermediate between green and black tea – in color, flavor and polyphenol content.In South Africa, Rooibos tea has been used by some tribes for medicinal purposes and by white South Africans for treatment of hay fever symptoms, asthma, eczema and to soothe heartburn, ease the pain of stomach ulcers and relieve nausea.Rooibos is being heavily hyped by producers and distributors as a new health beverage. Unlike true "tea," it is caffeine-free and low in tannins. It contains minimal amounts of calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium and much less fluoride than found in real teas. Studies have shown that Rooibos does contain antioxidants and therefore might have some of the health benefits of green tea, but very little research has confirmed this. I found only 17 scientific studies of Rooibos compared to more than 1,000 on green tea. So far, none suggest that Rooibos is the health equivalent of green tea.Rooibos also supplements the daily amounts of calcium, manganese and especially fluoride, needed for the development of strong teeth and bones. Rooibos contains zinc and alpha-hydroxy acid, which promote healthy skin and magnesium which is necessary for a healthy nervous system. |
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