Aspalathus linearis herb health benefit

Rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) contains different phenolic compounds such as dihydrochalcones, flavonols, flavanones, flavones, and flavanols. Aspalathin is a rooibos tea component. This herb is a broom-like member of the legume family of plants and is used to make an herbal tea which has been popular in South Africa for generations and is now consumed in many countries.

Aspalathus linearis and honeybush (Cyclopia Vent. species) are popular indigenous South African herbal teas enjoyed for their taste and aroma. Traditional medicinal uses of Aspalathus linearis in South Africa include alleviation of infantile colic, allergies, asthma and dermatological problems, while a decoction of honeybush was used as a restorative and as an expectorant in chronic catarrh and pulmonary tuberculosis.

Anti-oxidative effects of rooibos tea extract on autoxidation and thermal oxidation of lipids.
J Oleo Science. 2009; Fukasawa R, Kanda A. Department of Materials and Life Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Seikei University, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, Japan.
Powdered rooibos tea extract, which is rich in polyphenols, is made by freeze-drying. "Rooibos" is Afrikaans for "red bush," and the scientific name is "Aspalathus linearis." In the present work, the anti-oxidative effect of Aspalathus linearis extract on oils and fats in autoxidation or thermal oxidation was studied, and it was confirmed that this extract has a very strong anti-oxidative effect on emulsifying oils owing to the water-soluble polyphenols such as rutin and quercetin contained in it. Aspalathus linearis herbal extract was found to have a strong ability to quench radicals generated in the water phase, and to confer higher thermal stability against deep fat frying than tocopherol. But it showed little anti-oxidative effect on frying oil because of its lower oil-solubility.

In Vitro Hepatic Biotransformation of Aspalathin and Nothofagin, Dihydrochalcones of Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), and Assessment of Metabolite Antioxidant Activity.
J Agric Food Chem. 2009. van der Merwe JD, Joubert E, Manley M, de Beer D, Malherbe CJ, Gelderblom WC. Departments of Food Science and.
Aspalathin is the major flavonoid present in the South African herbal tea rooibos. In vitro metabolism of aspalathin and a structural analogue nothofagin, lacking the A ring catechol group, was investigated by monitoring the formation of glucuronyl and sulfate conjugates using Aroclor 1254 induced and uninduced rat liver microsomal and cytosolic subcellular fractions. Following glucuronidation of both aspalathin and nothofagin, HPLC-DAD, LC-MS, and LC-MS/MS analyses indicated the presence of two metabolites: one major and one minor. Only one aspalathin metabolite was obtained after sulfation, while no metabolites were observed for nothofagin. Two likely sites of conjugation for aspalathin are 4-OH or 3-OH on the A-ring. For nothofagin, the 4-OH (A-ring) and 6'-OH (B-ring) seem to be involved. The glucuronyl conjugates of aspalathin lack any radical scavenging properties in online postcolumn DPPH radical and ABTS radical cation assays. Deconjugation assays utilizing glucuronidase and sulfatase resulted in the disappearance of the metabolites, with the concomitant formation of the unconjugated form in the case of the glucuronidated product. The balance between conjugated and unconjugated forms of aspalathin could have important implications regarding its role in affecting oxidative status in intra- and extracellular environments in vivo.

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