Weight loss? Disease prevention? Anti-aging? Cup of tea? A very sizeable chunk of change has just been granted to researchers who are eager to show the world the plethora of health properties attached to South Africa’s favourite tea, our humble rooibos.

The SA Rooibos Council (yes, there is such a thing) has allocated a R2 million budget to rooibos research with the intention of examining and showcasing the soothing, healing, disease-prevention and weight-loss abilities of the tea, as well as its role in performance during exercise and post-exercise recovery.

There have already been some fairly ground-breaking discoveries about rooibos, not least the finding that the antioxidants in the tea can prevent skin cancer and reduce the number of UV-induced skin tumours in mice.

Let’s hope Freshpak’s price point doesn’t go through the roof when the ancient tea’s all-new health benefits are marketed to the world with renewed vigour.

[Source: The Star]