I tried Redbush (Rooibos) tea for the first time today. I was hoping that it would become a substitute for the normal tea that I had to give up (because it made my T go through the roof).
I sipped it thinking 'I may not like the taste but there's nothing harmful in it.. so let's give it a go'.
Just a few minutes later I felt really weird. I couldn't type and looking at the computer screen was really difficult. I wasn't panicking / anxious or anything... the effect was quite surreal.
I drank loads of water and had a cup of coffee - went and laid down for 10 minutes and gradually returned to normal.
I then searched the net to see if anyone else had a weird reaction to Redbush tea as all I had seen before were 'positives' - lowers blood pressure, antioxidents etc. etc.
I couldn't find anything that described the way it made me feel but, after reading a few fascinating articles about how antioxidents may not be as wonderful as we think...
"polyphenols are those wonderful plant antioxidants that are one of the main justifications for the supposed health benefits of vegetables, tea, chocolate, fruits and antioxidant supplements. The problem is, many of them are actually anti-nutrients. They
reduce mineral absorption,
reduce growth and feed efficiency in a number of species, and the antioxidant effect seen in human plasma after eating them
is due largely to our own bodies secreting uric acid into the blood (a defense mechanism?), rather than the polyphenols themselves. The main antioxidants in plasma are uric acid, vitamin C and vitamin E, with almost no direct contribution from polyphenols. I'm open to the idea that some polyphenols could be beneficial if someone can show me convincing data, but in any case they are not the panacea they're made out to be."
...I then found a few which said that Rooibos can increase anxiety and give nightmares...
"I am sensitive to caffeine and so I started drinking Rooibos but I found it had a toxic effect on me very similar to caffeine. Sleeplessness and anxiety. There is no doubt about it, I monitored everything carefully. It was the rooibos tea that caused this. I don't know all the chemicals in it and the tea bags but I cannot use it anymore and I would never recommend it. Sad but true as I thought I'd found a tea I could use."
from
http://paleohacks.com/questions/1876/rooibos-tea-paleo-or-poison#axzz2JxPKPb3d
and
"I'm changing colour from my head to my toes, stuck in a shrinking room that is slowly spinning around. Purple-pink-silver-green-purple. The only visible means of escape is a very small window, very high up an unclimbable wall. Worse still, I can hear lions on the other side of the walls. The lions sound hungry, angry and determined.
Lions are a common theme in my
nightmares. Although they are always very hungry, they have never succeeded in eating me. Thankfully, I always wake up before they get me.
Whereas I am prone to having very scary nightmares anyway, I have noticed that usually when I drink
Rooibos tea in the evening, I do tend to have quite vivid nightmares - several a night. It happens frequently, and it's starting to unnerve me. It's a shame, because I very much enjoy a drink of Rooibos tea in my favourite teacup and saucer in the evening. I'm not sure if it is just a coincidence, or if Rooibos tea can encourage nightmares. Perhaps someone else has experienced nightmares after drinking Rooibos tea in the evening, not long before sleep. I wonder?"
from
http://mummylovestea.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/rooibos-tea-causes-nightmares/
It doesn't mean that it won't help others on here but that was my first and last cup of Redbush tea
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