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The Top 5 Health Benefits of Rooibos, What 2025 Research Revealed

The Top 5 Health Benefits of Rooibos, What 2025 Research Revealed

17 December 2025

Excerpt:

Discover the top 5 rooibos health benefits backed by 2025 South African research, and how Carmién Tea helps brands create trusted wellness products.

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Rooibos has always held a strong place in South African culture, and new research emerging in 2024 and 2025 is giving this indigenous plant a renewed spotlight. Scientists at CPUT, Stellenbosch University, and collaborating institutions are exploring how rooibos interacts with biological pathways related to digestion, inflammation, stress, metabolism, women’s health, and brain ageing.

Most of this work is still preclinical, but the direction is consistent. Rooibos is increasingly understood as a safe, supportive ingredient for daily use. It is also gaining value as a functional raw material for retailers, wellness brands, hospitality groups, and manufacturers who want to meet the rising demand for evidence-aligned, health-focused products.

As Carmién Tea, a fully integrated origin supplier with full traceability from crop to cup, we are seeing firsthand how this research is shaping both consumer conversations and B2B innovation. Below is a clear summary of the top five health areas supported by 2025 research, along with what this means for both consumers and product developers.

1. Gut Health and Digestion: Strengthening the Gut Barrier

A 2025 South African study compared fermented rooibos with green rooibos in standard gut barrier models. Both forms of rooibos strengthened tight junction proteins and reduced inflammatory markers after exposure to bacterial toxins. Fermented rooibos performed at least as effectively as dexamethasone, a reference anti-inflammatory steroid, in this model. These findings were shared through The Conversation and the Daily Maverick in 2025.

Human clinical studies are still needed, but the direction of research suggests that rooibos supports barrier integrity and inflammation moderation, both of which are important for digestive comfort.

What this means for consumers

A daily cup of rooibos may support gut balance and overall digestive health in a gentle, accessible way. Carmién has developed products specifically to assist with gut health. The Carmién Gut Tea is an excellent product to use to keep your git microbiome strong and healthy.

What this means for Carmién partners

Consumers are increasingly seeking digestion-friendly, caffeine-free beverages. Carmién’s Green Rooibos and digestion-focused blends offer a high polyphenol base for gut health products, iced teas, and wellness blends. Our bulk formats and consistent grading support efficient product development.

2. Brain Health and Healthy Ageing: Emerging Neuroprotective Pathways

A 2025 review synthesised South African research on rooibos and Alzheimer’s-related mechanisms. The review highlighted antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-amyloid activity in preclinical models. In addition, youth-funded research from Dr Taskeen Docrat at CPUT is investigating how rooibos polyphenols influence mitochondrial function and amyloid beta toxicity.

The evidence does not indicate that rooibos is a treatment for Alzheimer’s. However, rooibos is being considered as a potential ingredient in preventive or healthy ageing formulations.

What this means for consumers

Rooibos continues to stand out as a supportive, caffeine-free daily beverage, particularly for people who are conscious of long-term wellbeing. When mixed with other natural mental support ingredients, such as the Carmién Brain Tea, it may help keep you focused and sharp during a long day’s work.

What this means for Carmién partners

The global market for brain health and healthy ageing products is expanding. Carmién’s Green Rooibos Micro Powder offers a stable, clean-label ingredient suitable for supplement applications and cognitive support blends.

3. Stress and Mental Wellbeing: Anxiolytic Activity in Early Research

Zebrafish behavioural research from Stellenbosch University, led by Prof Carine Smith, continues to show anxiolytic-like effects from green rooibos extracts. These findings have been widely discussed in South African media and are shaping the local narrative around rooibos as a functional brain food.

Although human trials are needed, researchers note that rooibos may support stress modulation through antioxidant and inflammation-related pathways.

What this means for consumers

Rooibos offers a calm, caffeine-free option for people who want a simple daily ritual that can support mood and general well-being. The Carmién Calm Tea is a lovely, soft blend that may help improve sleep and reduce stress and anxiety. It’s an ideal blend to drink before bed or to help soothe nerves.

What this means for Carmién partners

Stress relief and anxiety support products remain a significant growth area. Carmién’s Green Rooibos and calming blends offer a flavour-friendly and formulation-friendly base for wellness teas, hospitality beverage concepts, and private label ranges.

4. Diabetes and Metabolic Health: Improved Glucose Uptake and Insulin Sensitivity

Metabolic research remains a significant focus of the South African Rooibos Council in 2024 and 2025. Rooibos extracts and aspalathin have shown promising results in mechanistic and animal models. These include improvements in glucose uptake, reduced insulin resistance, moderated post-meal glucose spikes, and improved glucose tolerance. This has been summarised in the SARC Health Facts Sheet and other public communications.

A recent South African mouse study also found that rooibos supplementation supported insulin sensitivity and reduced high-carbohydrate-related metabolic stress.

What this means for consumers

Rooibos can be part of a mindful lifestyle focused on blood sugar balance. It is naturally caffeine-free and naturally sweet, which makes it a practical everyday choice. To help curb sweet cravings, Carmién has developed delicious flavour infusions such as our Creamy Vanilla and Caramel Rooibos blends. As Rooibos is naturally sweet, it’s the perfect base for everyone’s favourite indulgent flavours, without the sugar spike.

What this means for Carmién partners

Demand for metabolic health products is increasing globally. Carmién’s Rooibos and Green Rooibos provide consistent ingredient bases for low sugar beverages, functional teas, and better-for-you iced tea ranges.

5. Women’s Health and Cancer-Related Safety: Emerging Findings on Estrogen Activity

In 2025, Stellenbosch University research led by Dr Nicky Verhoog showed that rooibos extracts had anti-estrogenic effects in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cell lines. The extracts reduced estrogen-driven cell proliferation and migration, and did not interfere with tamoxifen. This work is still at an early stage and remains in vitro, but it is informing South African conversations about rooibos as a safe daily option for women.

CANSA and SARC note that rooibos is not a cancer treatment. However, rooibos can be safely included as part of a balanced wellness routine, and its antioxidant activity may support general well-being.

What this means for consumers

Rooibos has a strong safety profile and is suitable for women who want a daily, non-caffeinated beverage that supports overall well-being. Carmién’s drive is our customers. That’s why we’ve paid attention to the demands of our customers, and developed the women’s range. Teas such as our Feminine Tea are designed to help regulate hormones in each phase of a woman’s life, from initial teenage changes right through to the golden years.

What this means for Carmién partners

Women’s wellness categories, including perimenopause, hormone support, and beauty from within, are expanding. Carmién’s functional rooibos blends and private label formulation services provide partners with clean-label, origin-backed ingredients that align with global consumer expectations.

Why This Research Matters for the Market

Functional, natural, caffeine-free beverages are in high demand. Rooibos aligns strongly with these trends. It is caffeine-free, rich in antioxidants, low in tannins, and grown in a single PDO-protected region of South Africa. It carries a clear origin story and a strong safety profile.

Carmién Tea’s vertically integrated supply chain offers partners consistency, speciality grading, sustainability, and full traceability. These factors are increasingly important as global consumers look for authenticity and accountability in wellness products.

A South African Ingredient Meeting Global Health Trends

The 2025 research landscape shows an industry with growing scientific depth. Rooibos is proving to be a supportive daily wellness ingredient with potential across digestion, brain health, stress support, metabolic balance, and women’s health.

For consumers, rooibos remains a simple, enjoyable ritual.

For brands and retailers, it is an opportunity to innovate with a credible, clean label, locally grounded ingredient.

For Carmién Tea, it remains our speciality and our commitment to partners who want to bring trusted South African rooibos products to the world.

References

Core South African industry and overview

Gut health and digestion

Brain health, Alzheimer’s disease and mental health

Diabetes and metabolic health

Women’s health and breast cancer

Cancer and CANSA resources

Additional South African academic and context links

Human intervention evidence overview

  • Afrifa, D, Engelbrecht, L, Op’t Eijnde, B & Terblanche, E 2023, The health benefits of rooibos tea in humans (Aspalathus linearis) – a scoping review, Journal of Public Health in Africa, vol. 14, no. 12, article 2784, viewed 10 December 2025, <https://doi.org/10.4081/jphia.2023.2784>.

Carmién product and ingredient information

  • Carmién Tea 2024, Carmién Tea Bulk Rooibos Brochure, Carmién Tea, viewed 10 December 2025, <https://carmientea.co.za/> (bulk brochure supplied as PDF in B2B materials).