Rooibos leaves and fine stems (Aspalathus linearis; Fabaceae) are increasingly enjoyed as
herbal tea, largely in fermented (oxidised) red-brown form, but also in unfermented
(unoxidised) green form. Rooibos is rich in antioxidant polyphenols, with the
dihydrochalcone, aspalathin, as a major active ingredient. We used Caenorhabditis elegans
as model organism to investigate the effect of rooibos extracts against oxidative stress in
vivo. In a high glucose environment, C. elegans treated with rooibos extract exhibited an …