Decaffeinated "Red" Tea?

Stephanie Cheung, HK BioTek Intern

Drinking tea can be refreshing and different teas have various effects. If you want to sleep well at night, which tea should you choose?

Generally, black tea is roasted and fermented in which it has a higher caffeine content. Drinking in large amount of tea may cause symptoms such as irritability, insomnia and heart palpitations. Oolong tea and green tea are less fermented than black tea and have lower caffeine. In addition to these, there is a new choice for us: Rooibos Tea, also known as Boshi Tea, it is in reddish brown. Its special feature is that Rooibos is caffeine-free, which is both healthy and does not affect people’s sleeping quality, and you are not afraid of sleeping depression after drinking it. It is made by using leaves from a shrub named Aspalathus linearis which is unique on west coast of South Africa like Cedarberg region.

In addition, Rooibos tea has many advantages. Firstly, it can improve the digestive system. The natural enzymes in the tea can promote bowel movements and improve constipation which allow it to excrete toxins from the body. Secondly, Rooibos Tea contains a lot of superoxide dismutase, which has antioxidant properties and promotes metabolism. It may help protect cells from free radicals. Yet, the effect of Rooibos tea may just last for a short period of time. Thirdly, it can maintain iron absorption in our body. Other teas contain tannin acid, which may hinder iron absorption in our bodies. The Rooibos tea is lower in tannin content, which has little effect on the body's iron absorption level.

Rooibos Tea can improve blood lipids and oxidation index related to heart disease. However, further research is needed to improve the food sensitivity and the benefits of the minerals in tea to the body.

Next time you go to a beverage store or buy tea, you might as well try this caffeine-free "black" tea.

References:

1. https://www.sticksology.com.hk/blogs/news/%F0%9F%98%8A%E6%88%91%E6%84%9B%E4%B8%8A%E4%BA%86%E5%8D%97%E9%9D%9E%E5%8D%9A%E5%A3%AB%E8%8C%B6

2. 喝南非國寶茶的7個好處！無咖啡因又顧心臟！ - Heho健康https://heho.com.tw/archives/76753

3. https://www.google.com.hk/amp/s/health.udn.com/health/amp/story/6037/5222441