Rooibos fights cancer
Article By: africa.com
Wed, 04 Feb 2009

Statistics show that one in four South Africans will be affected by cancer in his or her lifetime, and according to the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa), this disease will be the leading cause of death globally in 2010.

With 12 million new cases of cancer diagnosed last year alone, the pressure is mounting to better understand the development of cancer and ways in which you could protect yourself against it. Rooibos, a tea grown exclusively in South Africa, may just hold some of the answers.

"We have been investigating the effect of Rooibos on various kinds of cancer for years and have been able to prove the benefits of Rooibos in preventing or slowing down different kinds of cancer," says Dr Jeanine Marnewick of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology who also worked on Rooibos and cancer at the Medical Research Council (MRC) for many years.

Inhibits the growth of cancer cells

"We have found that Green Rooibos, the unfermented version of the tea, significantly inhibits the growth of cancer cells, and that traditional Rooibos also achieves this effect, albeit at a slightly lower rate."

Dr Wentzel Gelderblom, an authority on cancer chemoprevention using herbal teas, continues to lead this research effort at the MRC.

In 2008 a leading, international research journal (the Journal of Ethnopharmacology) published a 37-page review of more than fifty years of Rooibos research. It confirms that Rooibos is a great source of flavonoid antioxidants which have many positive effects.

"Oxidative stress plays a role in the development of a whole range of diseases, including cancer, strokes, heart and liver disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's," explains Dr Marnewick.

Dr Carl Albrecht, Head of Research at Cansa, says that Cansa is impressed with the ongoing Rooibos research which it supports financially.

"We believe that there is a strong case to be made that Rooibos could help to prevent cancer. This has been shown in animals and we look forward to similar work in humans in the future. In this regard it is very promising that it has been shown that six cups of Rooibos per day have significantly increased the body's own anti-oxidant, called glutathione, in humans. Glutathione is known to prevent cancer."

Cancer develops in different stages. When a living cell is excessively exposed to external factors like cigarette smoke, alcohol, the sun, pesticides, chemicals, viruses or even a high fat or high salt diet, its DNA may be damaged. These external factors are known as mutagens, and the process is called mutagenesis.

With even more exposure to these external factors, the cell may lose its ability to control the growth process and thus becomes a cancer cell. If the exposure continues, the cancer cell can start to multiply and form a mass of cells, called a tumor.

Dr Marnewick explains that Rooibos protects against cancer in different ways:

* 1. Rooibos reduces cancer-associated changes in cells by protecting them against DNA damage or mutagenesis. Rooibos contains quercetin, luteolin and orientin — potent anti-oxidants that scavenge free radicals that damage the DNA of the cells. Rooibos' anti-oxidants bind to the free radicals and inactivate them before they can cause damage.

* 2. Rooibos may prevent a cell with damaged DNA from becoming a cancerous cell.

* 3. Rooibos may prevent cancerous cells from multiplying into masses and creating cancerous tumors.

* 4. Rooibos increases the level of natural anti-oxidants in the liver, which means that the liver's anti-oxidant status is improved.

* 5. Rooibos also helps the liver to get rid of compounds that can cause cancer.

Cancer is one of the most feared diseases of our time. It is therefore excellent news that a uniquely South African Rooibos, a product that is widely available and very affordable, can play such an important role in cancer prevention. On top of its cancer-fighting properties, Rooibos also helps to fight heart disease, skin irritations, irritability and many more ailments.

For more information visit http://www.sarooibos.org.za or http://www.iafrica.com

2009 Harvest looking good!

As 2008 draws to a close, we finalize our harvest season planning. The historically high rainfall over the last two years has resulted in good growth. We planted about 140 hectares over the past two years and all the Rooibos has taken really well. The experimentation with new planting methods and organic fertilizers seems to be "bearing fruit". I am very curious to see how much higher the yields will be this harvest.

It's also wonderful to see all our neighboring farms looking so good. May the rains continue into 2009!

We're looking forward to welcoming the famous Cartographer, Peter Slingsby, to Klipopmekaar next year. We contacted him (after traversing the entire Cedarberg mountain range a few months ago) to discuss a few inconsistencies that we found on his recent edition map of the region. The upshot is that he's probably planning a visit next year ... Peter is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the geography, history, and bushman paintings of the Cedarberg area. We're found 12 new bushman painting sites in the last three years and we're very keen to get his thoughts and input. More information about Peter and his maps business can be found at http://www.themaps.co.za/

We're also looking forward to further contact with Quinton Martins and the Cape Leopard Trust. The Trust's aims are to optimally facilitate conservation of the Cape's predator diversity through simultaneously implementing conservation strategies, research projects and tourism initiatives. My wife, Monique, and I frequently find leopard spoor/droppings/tracks on the farm. A leopard was recently seen near our home. No hunting is allowed on our 5000 hectare private nature reserve and we hope to provide The Cape Leopard Trust with an opportunity to observe/track leopards in our area. More information about the Cape Leopard Trust at http://www.capeleopard.org.za/

Wishing all Rooibos tea drinkers a loveley festive season,

Richard

Some interesting Rooibos research: Rooibos a boon to the heart

Last updated: Wednesday, November 26, 2008

If you're keen on living a long and happy life, it's time to fall back on that great South African classic: rooibos tea. Exciting new research shows that the popular beverage could help prevent heart disease. Reporting at a press conference in Cape Town, researchers from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology said on Wednesday that drinking six cups of rooibos tea a day had a significant, positive impact on oxidative lipid damage, redox status and the overall lipid profile of participants who took part in a 14-week study. All these factors are thought to contribute to the growing pandemic of heart disease, which claims millions of lives around the globe every year. This is the very first time that any potential health benefits of rooibos tea have been tested in human subjects, and researchers such as study leader Dr Jeanine Marnewick are excited that this study will pave the way for future research, and possibly other important findings. Animal studies have shown that the benefits of rooibos tea can be attributed to a class of beneficial antioxidants called "flavonoids", which are found in tea, chocolate and wine. However, rooibos is unique in that it's the only plant that's ever been found to contain the asphalatin flavonoid. How the study was done Forty men and women between the ages of 30 and 60 were enrolled for the study. Each participant had two or more of the following risk factors for heart disease: raised cholesterol, raised blood pressure, smoking, increased body mass index (BMI) and/or family history. However, none of the participants were taking oral medication for these conditions. Participants had to drink six cups of rooibos every day for a period of six weeks, with the six cups spread across the day. In order to maintain a high degree of consistency, the preparation was standardised as 2% weight of dried rooibos to volume of water. Each cup consisted of 200ml boiling water added to one rooibos tea bag, brewed for five minutes before drinking. Subjects drank the rooibos with or without milk and/or sugar, as previous research on green and black teas have demonstrated that milk doesn't eliminate the increase in plasma antioxidant activity in humans. The participants were asked to omit other flavonoid-rich foods and beverages from their diet for two weeks before the start of the study, so as to ensure that any possible effects were from the rooibos alone. Analysis of the participants' fasting blood samples taken after this period served as a baseline standard to help determine the extent of participant compliance with the study guidelines. Good news for rooibos lovers The researchers measured the effects of rooibos by looking at two markers in the blood that are indicators of oxidative lipid damage, namely conjugated dienes (CDs) and malondialdehydes (MDAs). "We observed a decrease of nearly 35% in CDs in the blood of the rooibos-drinking participants and a 50% decrease in MDAs," Marnewick said. Oxidative damage in lipids is accepted as a very important step in the development of atherosclerosis. CDs are formed during the early stages of oxidation (destruction) of important cellular components such as lipids (fats). MDAs are oxidation end products of polyunsaturated fatty acids that causes defects in protein synthesis and enzyme inactivation in human cells. Patients with coronary artery disease usually have a higher MDA level than normal. The researchers also monitored oxidative stress by measuring the ratio of oxidized vs. reduced glutathione (GSH) in the blood. Their results show a significant improvement – and therefore decreased risk of heart disease – in the study participants who drank six cups of rooibos per day. "We've found that rooibos is particularly effective at reducing oxidative damage to lipids (fats), thereby helping to prevent or slow down atherosclerosis, or the hardening of arteries," Marnewick said. Apart from the potential heart benefits, rooibos tea is also caffeine-free and contains low levels of tannin. The tea also has no known toxicity, making it a safe, inexpensive drink that everyone can enjoy. - (Carine Visagie, Health24, November 2008)

Cedarberg Traverse

Monique and I returned last weekend from a 10 day North-South traverse of the Cedarberg Mountain Range. The seven hikers in our group started at our farm, Klipopmekaar, and we all made the 130 km trek/journey to Pompieshoek. It was really great to explore some of the less trodden parts of this incredibly beautiful mountain range. We particularly enjoyed the 4 days off-path hiking north of Pakhuis, agter-Wolfberg, and South of Kromrivier. Although the cedar tree is seriously threatened with extinction, it was nevertheless reassuring to see so many in the Skerpionpoort, Anvil and agter-Sneeukop (not Sneeuberg) areas.

After record rainfall this year the veld throughout the mountian range is looking fantastic.

We spent an afternoon chatting with David Pedro (a small scale Rooibos farmer supplying tea to Wupperthal Tea Co-op) ... it was interesting to learn about some of David's Rooibos farming methods and pick up some valuable veld-remedies knowledge.

A big thank-you to all our neighboring Cedarberg farmers and Cape Nature staff who were so kind, engaging and helpful along the way. A special thank you must go to Herman Van Wyk - the Barrydale potjie-kos champion - who cooked for us (when we weren't sleeping in the veld) and supported us along the way.

Richard

The amazing thing about rooibos (redbush) tea

The amazing thing about rooibos tea is not just the colour, flavour, or health benefits of the herb, but rather the fact that it only comes from the Cedarberg in South Africa.

You can read more of the facts here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooibos
We also found some interesting reading here and here, that you might be interested in.

And have you heard about Red Espresso?