Top 7 Benefits of Honeybush Tea
Honeybush tea is a close relative to rooibos tea. The tea has a sweet smell, that reminds of honey, but is naturally sugar-free.
Besides being sugar-free, the tea is also caffeine-free, and has a very low tannin content. This means that, it does not turn bitter if you steep it too long.
1. Caffeine-free
Honeybush tea does not contain caffeine. Thanks to that, the tea can be consumed at any time during the day, even before going to bed.
Many honeybush tea drinkers find that the tea even helps them sleep better.
Many people find that honeybush tea helps reduce their stress levels and promotes relaxation, ultimately leading to better sleep.
2. May support weight loss
If your weight loss efforts are jeopardised by sugary drinks, honeybush tea might be just what you need.
Honeybush tea has a sweet and fruity aroma that is similar to honey. So if you want to drink something sweet, but don’t want the calories, you could try honeybush tea.
Drinking this tea instead of sugary drinks, can help lower the inflammation in your body and satisfy sugar cravings.
This surprisingly tasty alternative to sugary drinks can be enjoyed both hot and cold.
3. May support the breakdown of fat
Scientific evidence suggests, that polyphenols from honeybush could help inhibit fat accumulation in cells (1).
There is also evidence that honeybush tea can stimulate the breakdown of fat (2).
This information comes only from in-vitro studies, we still have a long way to go to confirm if these anti-obesity effects also work in-vivo.
4. Could have anti-diabetic effects
Drinking honeybush tea may have anti-diabetic effects. Some of the polyphenols found in honeybush could potentially lower blood sugar levels in various ways.
Specifically, the polyphenol hesperidin seems very effective at reducing glucose levels.
One animal study showed that hesperidin reduced blood glucose, increased insulin levels and even improved wound closure in diabetic rats (3).
One clinical study did claim that hesperidin supplementation lowered fasting glucose and total cholesterol levels in diabetes patients, after 6 weeks (4).
But not all studies agree that hesperidin can lower blood glucose levels.
One clinical trial on patients with type 2 diabetes showed no effect of fasting glucose levels after 6 weeks of supplementation (5).
Interestingly, the same study did find that hesperidin improved other parameters, mostly related to reducing oxidative stress.
5. High in antioxidants and other beneficial compounds
Phytochemicals are compounds that plants produce for their protection. These chemicals often have strong antimicrobial and antioxidant effects in order to help protect the plant (6).
The phytochemical compounds found in honeybush tea are quite different from those found in regular green tea. For example, whereas green tea contains caffeine, honeybush tea does not (7).
Here are some of the most important phytochemicals found in honeybush tea (8):
Hesperidin
Isosakuranetin
Naringenin
Eriocitrin
Luteolin
Kaempherol
Mangiferin
Formononetin
Calycosin
Epigallocatechin gallate
This is a list with some of the most important ones. There are many other such compounds found in honeybush.
6. May promote bone density
Honeybush contains two compounds, which could reduce the breakdown of bone and promote bone formation. These compounds are Mangiferin and Hesperidin.
Mangiferin could inhibit the breakdown of bone by osteoclasts (9).
Animal studies show that Hesperidin could also slow bone loss in a similar way (10).
In addition, the phytoestrogens found in honeybush, may have an effect in preventing bone loss during menopause (11).
7. May have anti-aging effects on the skin
Honeybush tea may have some anti-aging properties for the skin.
One noteworthy study on 120 participants with wrinkles, demonstrated that honeybush extract could be a very effective at protecting the skin against the signs of ageing. More specifically, the skin of the participants who received honeybush extract, appeared more elastic and more hydrated, compared to placebo (12).
Some animal studies claim, that honeybush tea can even improve the appearance of wrinkles caused by UV irradiation (13).
Does honeybush tea have estrogen?
Honeybush tea contains estrogen-like compounds, also known as phytoestrogens. In some cases these might have positive effects, such as lessening symptoms associated with menopause (14). But in other cases these compounds could cause unwanted hormonal imbalances.
Two important phytoestrogens found in honeybush are Formononetin (15) and Calycosin (16).
How to Make Honeybush Tea?
If you have some honeybush tea leaves and would like to know a quick and easy way to prepare them, here we go.
Here is how to make honeybush tea from loose leaves, step by step:
Ingredients:
1 tsp honeybush tea leaves
boiling water
Directions:
Add the tea leaves to a teapot. You need around 1 tsp per cup of water.
Pour the boiling water over the leaves and steep for 5-10 minutes.
Strain the tea into a cup and it is ready.
Recipe notes:
Because honeybush has a very low tannin content, it is okay to steep the tea longer than 10 minutes.
If your tea is in teabags, it is probably easiest if you just follow the instructions on the package.
Side effects of honeybush tea
Honeybush tea is generally considered safe, when consumed in moderation. Most notably, the tea can have a diuretic effect on some people.
Though it is very rare for people to experience side effects, the more of this tea you drink, the likelier it becomes to experience some unwanted effects.
Hormones
Honeybush tea contains some estrogen-like compounds. Because of this, it could possibly cause hormonal imbalances.
What does honeybush tea taste like?
Honeybush tea tastes similar to rooibos, but has a much sweeter honey-like flavour. This sweet flavour gives you the impression that you are drinking something sweet, even though you it has no added sugar.
Does honeybush tea make you sleepy?
Since it is naturally caffeine-free, many people drink honeybush tea before going to sleep. Whether or not the tea actually makes you sleepy, is not well studied.