The Affordable Tea With Powerful Benefits: How Rooibos Can Boost Gut Health and Fight Inflammation Naturally

The Affordable Tea With Powerful Benefits: How Rooibos Can Boost Gut Health and Fight Inflammation Naturally

Rooibos tea has become a global favorite for good reason. This smooth, caffeine-free drink comes from a shrub native to South Africa and has been a part of the region’s heritage for centuries. The rooibos plant (Aspalathus linearis) grows naturally in the Cederberg mountains of the Western Cape, where the Khoisan people first harvested and brewed it as a healing herbal tea.

Today, rooibos is gaining attention far beyond South Africa—not just for its earthy flavor, but for its impressive health benefits. Research shows this tea works as a natural antioxidant, supporting the body by protecting cells from everyday damage. Rooibos is also known for its anti-inflammatory properties, which help calm swelling, redness, and discomfort. Over time, these benefits may support heart and liver health, promote balanced blood sugar, and improve the skin’s appearance.

Rooibos became a commercial crop in the early 1900s, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that scientific interest grew. Researchers began studying its antioxidant compounds, sparking decades of continued research into how rooibos can support health and wellness.

One researcher who focuses on South African herbal teas, especially rooibos and honeybush, recently explored how rooibos may protect the gut. Using pig intestinal cells—chosen because they closely resemble human gut cells—the research team studied both fermented and unfermented rooibos tea extracts. Their findings were encouraging: rooibos helped strengthen the gut lining and reduced inflammation through changes in specific proteins involved in gut health.

These benefits matter because gut problems are incredibly common today. Conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, and indigestion affect more than 40 percent of people worldwide. Women tend to be affected more often than men. Gut health has also become central to wellness conversations, especially with growing evidence linking digestive issues to chronic inflammation, low energy, anxiety, and autoimmune conditions. As more people look for natural alternatives to medication, teas like rooibos are attracting more interest for their gentle yet meaningful health effects.

In the study, the researchers examined how rooibos extracts might protect the gut barrier. This barrier is a thin layer of cells that separates your intestines from the rest of the body, carefully allowing nutrients in while blocking harmful substances. When the barrier weakens—a condition commonly called “leaky gut”—it can contribute to problems like IBS, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and long-term inflammation.

The research compared two types of rooibos tea:

• Unfermented (green) rooibos, which is less processed and contains higher amounts of antioxidants
• Fermented (red) rooibos, the more familiar version with its warm, slightly sweet flavor

Both teas come from the same plant, but they contain different natural compounds due to how they are processed. These differences, especially in polyphenols, influence how each type works in the body. Polyphenols are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and rooibos contains several—most notably aspalathin, which is found only in this tea, and nothofagin.

In this three-year study, pig intestinal cells were exposed to rooibos extracts for 24 hours. After the extracts were removed, the cells were exposed to a bacterial toxin to mimic inflammation. Researchers then measured inflammation markers and studied how well the cells maintained their protective barrier.

The results showed distinct benefits from each type of tea:

• Fermented (red) rooibos offered the strongest anti-inflammatory effects. When the gut cells were stimulated to mimic infection or inflammation, fermented rooibos reduced the inflammatory response. It even performed as well as—or in some cases better than—the steroid dexamethasone, which is commonly used to treat gut inflammation.

• Unfermented (green) rooibos was best at reinforcing the gut barrier. It increased the production of proteins that help seal and strengthen the lining of the intestines. This suggests unfermented rooibos may help reduce the risk of “leaky gut” by improving how tightly the gut cells hold together.

• Differences in polyphenol levels may explain why each tea works differently. Unfermented rooibos contains more aspalathin, a powerful antioxidant that helps keep cells healthy and supports barrier strength. Fermented rooibos, however, contains polyphenols like eriodictyol-glucosides, which appear to soothe inflammation more effectively.

Although rooibos has long been recognized as a healthy drink, this study is one of the first to show how its two forms support gut health in unique ways. This kind of information can help people choose the version of rooibos that best suits their needs, whether they want to reduce inflammation, support digestion, or protect their gut lining.

Looking ahead, researchers believe rooibos could play a role in gut health supplements or natural therapies for inflammatory bowel disease. It may also be added to everyday foods and drinks designed to support digestion and overall wellness.

While the study was conducted in a laboratory environment and more research is needed on humans, the results are promising. Rooibos is safe, affordable, and already widely enjoyed around the world. Adding it to your routine is an easy, low-risk way to support your gut and overall health—making it a simple habit with potentially meaningful benefits.