12/31/2007
Tea-Woo!
Last week, I ordered some Vanilla Rooibos tea (which I became addicted to thanks to The Coffee House in Lincoln, Nebraska). My 40 bags o'tea -- plus samples of other flavors like raspberry and honey -- were just delivered to my door. Amusingly (or maybe laughably), the package included a two-page, double-sided handout detailing the health benefits -- not evaluated by the FDA and not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any diseases! -- of Rooibos tea, including:
* Reducing the risk of tooth decay;
* "Extraordinary anti-allergenic properties which inhibit the release of histamines on exposure to allergens, so reducing the symptoms of hay fever";
* Lowering blood pressure and serving "anti-thrombotic" functions;
* Treating the symptoms of "colic, diverticulitis, diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion, and irritable bowel syndrome";
* Easing pain from prostate inflammation and ovarian cysts;
* "A well trusted remedy for many skin conditions ... such as eczema, acne, psoriasis and [diaper] rash";
* Relieving itchy scalp.
The package also includes a brochure for Rooibos-based skin products, including a "regenerating tissue oil." Excellent.
15:53 Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this | Tags: tea, woo
Comments
Unfortunately, many are still quite taken by declarations of benefits that explicitly underline their factual unreliability. Anymore, it seems, it only requires the articulation, however explicitly unfounded it may be, in order to implant an idea into the unwitting mind of a person of the herd.
It's the specificity that's so funny...like how it isn't just pain relief...it's pain relief from prostrate inflammation and ovarian cysts. What if I just have a headache or something? Is this tea so confounded by the common, everyday sorts of pain? At least I now know that my fits of violent scalp scratching are not the best approach to the problem.
Posted by: Trey | 01/02/2008
Trey,
"It's the specificity that's so funny" - Agreed. I guess if you're going to lie, it's best to be specific. And for simple headaches, use HeadOn, a stick of wax with "homeopathic" properties.
Posted by: PrimroseRoad | 01/02/2008
Oh! I've been drinking rooibis tea for a couple of years now. Just the straight stuff, not vanilla (ewwwww)
Strangely, I have developed hayfever these past 2 summers, for the first time in my life. Hmmmm
Posted by: squib | 01/02/2008
It sounds like Rooibis is the tea version of Airborne, the effervescent tablet that "promises" to make your head cold go away when you take it at the first sign of a cold. Perhaps Rooibis and Airborne should be advertised together on QVC or in a paid programming advertisement. ("But wait! There's more...")
Well the only thing that matters to me is if the tea tastes good. Though if anyone believes that Rooibis reduces the risk of tooth decay, they may want to remember not to put sugar in their tea.
Posted by: Horseheads | 10/04/2008
Post a comment