Drinking a cup of Rooibos tea not only makes everything better on the worst day but is considered one of the nation’s favourite beverages! However, the best part about Rooibos tea is that it’s a natural source of many health benefits that most of us are not even aware of. Among many benefits, recent research conducted by the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has shown that Rooibos has the potential to delay and prevent early onset and progression of type 2 diabetes.
Zaria, a 12-year old student at Cornwall Hill College recently put this theory to the test and decided to conduct her own experiment with her diabetic dog, Jessie the Labrador. Jessie has diabetes and requires regular insulin injections to manager her insulin levels. With the high costs of insulin, Zaria decided to give this experiment a go to not only cut down the amount of insulin Jessie would need but also to save on costs. She did her research and found that Green Rooibos Tea seemed to work the best in managing insulin levels.
Zaria fed Jessie and three other diabetic dogs one cup of green rooibos diluted in three cups of water everyday for four weeks. During this time, all four dogs continued to take their diabetic medication to see exactly what effect the rooibos had on them. All four dogs proved to benefit medically from this experiment. Jessie responded so well to Zaria’s experiment that today she is taking her lowest dose of insulin since her diagnosis earlier this year.
