The pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries have long sought to restore and reverse the effects of ageing, now local scientists are investigating whether rooibos may hold some answers.

Exercise, stress, ageing, cancer and obesity are some of the lifestyle challenges that feature prominently in the South African Rooibos Council’s R2 million research budget this year.

On 14 November 2011 – World Diabetes Day – the world will focus on this silent killer disease that is fast escalating into a global health epidemic. Obesity is directly associated with development of type 2 diabetes. Responding to the diabetes challenge, a group of leading South African researchers are focusing their attention on a unique South African herbal tea – Rooibos – and specifically its anti-diabetic and anti-obesity properties. Dr Johan Louw at the Diabetes Discovery Platform at the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Prof Lizette Joubert at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) are jointly supervising the research project. They are collaborating with an international biotechnology group – the MC2 Biotek Group.

February 2011

‘Rooibos is good for you’, is a contention that’s been around for at least the past 40 years, but increasingly scientific research indicates that there’s more than a little substance to the claim.

March 2011

A new collaborative study between researchers at two German universities (Leibniz University and Braunschweig Technical University) confirmed that the active compounds in Rooibos tea can be absorbed and broken down by the human body. These new findings about the bioavailability of Rooibos help scientists to understand and explain the multitude of health benefits that Rooibos tea offers, including protection against heart disease and cancer.

4 August 2011

Rooibos, known for its many health benefits from reducing the risk of heart disease and strokes, to preventing cancer and boosting the immune system, may also be beneficial for managing diabetes.

The antioxidants in Rooibos are known for helping to reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks, now researchers have found that this amazing plant could also help prevent skin cancer.

The implications are particularly relevant in South Africa where skin cancer is the most common form of cancer with 20 000 reported cases annually and 700 deaths. This is the second highest incidence in the world after Australia.

14 September 2010

Nearly 2000 hectares of prime Western Cape land, currently infested by alien vegetation, is to be cleared and rehabilitated in an ambitious ten year project initiated by five rooibos producers. The project forms part of Right Rooibos, the Rooibos Council's sustainable production initiative.

8 September 2010

South African researchers have developed a flavour and mouthfeel wheel that provides 27 descriptive attributes for Rooibos tea as a tool to facilitate communication among producers, processors, grading experts, marketers, flavour houses, importers and consumers.

8 September 2010

The Welcome Campaign, an initiative by the Rooibos Council to make the indigenous beverage synonymous with a warm welcome at business meetings, social get-togethers and other occasions, is winning support locally and internationally.