Benefits of honeybush tea, herbal drink with natural honey taste

Honeybush tea is a South African herbal drink made from the honeybush plant (Cyclopia spp.). The drink's unique name comes from its sweet taste and aroma resembling honey. Apart from having a delicious taste, honeybush tea is also thought to provide a number of health benefits.

This drink, which is similar to rooibos tea, is caffeine-free and contains several minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc. Like other herbal drinks, honeybush tea is also rich in antioxidant compounds with a myriad of benefits for the body.

Various benefits of honeybush tea

Various studies have been conducted to test the efficacy of the substances contained in honeybush tea. Here are some of its potential for health.

1. Relieves the esophagus

Honeybush tea has long been used as a herbal remedy to relieve symptoms of flu, colds, and respiratory infections and tuberculosis. This drink is also believed to soothe an uncomfortable throat due to phlegm buildup.

This is because the honeybush plant contains expectorant substances that can thin out phlegm. The herb is usually boiled and given to a sick person, similar to a modern serving of honeybush tea.

2. Protect body cells from damage

Honeybush tea is very rich in polyphenol antioxidant compounds, especially from the types of xanthones and flavanones. Both have the potential to prevent inflammation in the body and inhibit the growth of tumor cells.

Other antioxidants in honeybush tea also have other benefits, namely protecting the body from free radical damage. Thanks to this, antioxidants are thought to help reduce the risk of various chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer.

3. Controlling blood sugar in diabetics

Honeybush tea contains the antioxidant compounds mangiferin and hesperidin. According to a number of animal studies, mangiferin can lower blood sugar by stimulating the production of the hormone insulin and repairing damaged pancreatic cells.

Meanwhile, hesperidin can help lower blood sugar by increasing the function of enzymes that regulate sugar absorption in the body. These compounds also protect pancreatic cells from free radical damage.

Not only that, a recent study in the journal Molecules also mentioned that mangiferin and hesperidin might prevent complications of diabetes. The complications of diabetes include damage to the kidneys and nervous system.

4. Maintain healthy skin

Apart from drinking it straight, you can also get the benefits of honeybush tea by rubbing it on your skin. One study states that honeybush tea extract has substances that can protect the skin from UV rays.

Researchers gave honeybush plant extract supplements to 120 participants who had wrinkles around the eyes. After three months, they had significantly less wrinkles than people who did not take the supplements.

Other studies have also suggested that honeybush plant extracts may be able to prevent skin thickening and sunburn marks. This herb improves skin elasticity and maintains moisture so that the skin looks youthful.

5. Maintain healthy bones

Drinks for bone health are usually synonymous with milk. However, who would have thought, honeybush tea also has benefits for bone health. This benefit again comes from its antioxidant content, namely mangerin and hesperidin.

Periodically, osteoclasts in bone will break down bone tissue to take up minerals in it. This process must be balanced with the formation of osteoblasts, namely cells that will form new bone tissue.

If the formation of osteoclasts is faster than osteoblasts, bones will be susceptible to loss. Mangiferin can inhibit osteoclast formation, whereas hesperidin aids bone recovery by protecting osteoblasts from damage.

6. Relieves menopause symptoms

Menopause can cause disturbing symptoms, ranging from irregular menstruation, heat in the body, to changes mood drastically. These symptoms arise because the hormone estrogen decreases over time.

Honeybush tea contains antioxidant isoflavones which act as phytoestrogens. This means that these compounds can mimic the hormone estrogen in the body. Consumption of isoflavones may help relieve menopause symptoms due to decreased natural estrogen hormone.

Like herbal drinks in general, honeybush tea is rich in antioxidants and various plant compounds that provide benefits to the body. These compounds even help protect body cells from damage and risk of disease.

So far, there have been no reports of side effects from drinking honeybush tea. This drink can be consumed regularly, but make sure you boil it with boiling water to prevent the risk of mixing with other ingredients from the production process.