ROOIBOS: A RECIPE AGAINST STOMACH PROBLEMS?

Diarrhoea can have a number of causes, like indigestion, adverse reactions to certain medications, eating spoiled or spicy food and allergic reactions to certain food types. Research findings have revealed that because Rooibos is packed with flavonoids, which have antispasmodic properties, it can have a calming effect on the digestive system, relieving diarrhoea and soothing associated abdominal cramping. Because Rooibos is caffeine-free, it can also be used as a gastro-protector, as caffeine is known to stimulate gastrointestinal juices. One of the most commonly experienced side-effects of diarrhoea is dehydration and it is recommended that diarrhoea sufferers drink sufficient amounts of water and fluids. By drinking 6 cups of Rooibos tea per day to supplement their fluid intake, people can also benefit from its health properties.
group of leading South African researchers lead by Dr Johan Louw at the Diabetes Discovery Platform at the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Prof Lizette Joubert at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), as well as the MC2 Biotek Group, are researching the link between Rooibos tea in fighting diabetes, due to its anti-diabetic and anti-obesity properties.
“In healthy people, their cells take up and use glucose effectively and the process is controlled by the insulin hormone, but in diabetics these processes are impaired,” Louw explains. “We have obtained encouraging results from Rooibos extracts in our pre-clinical studies with diabetic animals, as well as in cell models, showing that compounds in Rooibos can play an important role in these processes.”
“We plan to continue with follow-up work to look at Rooibos and obesity in animals and humans.”
A positive outcome of this research in humans could lead to nutraceutical applications of Rooibos extract which could have positive, far-reaching health implications.
South Africa‟s focus on the potential of rooibos to manage diabetes builds on research in other countries: Slovakian scientists have recommended Rooibos to help prevent and treat diabetic vascular complications, especially in eye membranes. Japanese scientists found that Rooibos helps improve the glucose uptake of muscle cells, thereby maintaining normal blood sugar levels in diabetic mice, and also that it stimulates pancreatic beta-cells to secrete insulin.http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.299162870213214.73024.258616000934568&type=1#!/pages/Zhannique/258616000934568