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‘No conclusive study’ supports claim
Kidney stones are hard deposits that form inside the kidneys. They form when “urine contains more crystal-forming substances – such as calcium, oxalate and uric acid – than the fluid in your urine can dilute”.
The article shared on Facebook says “people who have kidney stones can drink red rooibos tea as much as they want because it has no oxalic acid”. Oxalic acid, which is found in plants, can attach itself to other minerals and form kidney stones.
“There are studies that suggest that rooibos is one of the best drinks for people with kidney-stone problems but there is no conclusive study that proves drinking rooibos prevents kidney stones,” Prof Antony Meyer, a nephrologist and chairperson of the National Kidney Foundation of South Africa, told Africa Check.
HEALTH CHECK: Beware of social media posts promoting rooibos tea as a ‘cure-all’
According to the internet, one of South Africa’s favourite beverages, rooibos tea, can cure many ills. But are these claims accurate?
Published on 09 April 2021
Social media is littered with misleading and incorrect health advice. Recently Africa Check has noticed a popular drink being promoted as a remedy for a long list of ailments.
Need to treat prediabetes? Drink six cups of rooibos tea per day. Suffering from allergies? Rooibos is supposedly a “natural antihistamine”.
The tea, also known as “redbush” or “African red tea”, is indigenous to the Cederberg region in South Africa’s Western Cape province. But “rooibos is not a medicine”, Suzanne Herbst, spokesperson at the South African Rooibos Council, told Africa Check. The organisation works to “promote, grow and protect the rooibos industry of South Africa”.