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Rooibos Council says the industry welcomes the partnership with the DSI .
“ The demand for natural medicinal products in modern medicine as complementary or alternative therapies is on the increase , however , the potential medicinal values of these plants , including Rooibos , are not always properly researched and documented , and the industry and wider sector can benefit from an increased focus on R & D in this area .
“ While Rooibos has been studied for well over 20 years and researchers have confirmed its beneficial properties , lack of funding has stymied progress . The additional investment will help the industry to move forward with studies that include human trials – an important next step in the development of therapies containing Rooibos as an active ingredient . “ Human studies are paramount as it will allow us to make scientifically-recognised health claims regarding Rooibos ,” he says .
Swart says there is a growing trend at local and inter-national research institutions to prioritise Rooibos as part of their novel food or functional food research . “ Since 2016 , the SARC has funded 23 studies
The additional investment will help the industry to move forward with studies that include human trials
that were headed by 23 Principal Investigators , involving 43 national and international researchers . Eight post-doctoral students were granted employment contracts and ten completed PhD degrees , 25 Master ’ s degrees , and eight Honours degrees were awarded . The body of research has been published in 35 different articles and were presented at 53 conferences .
Once a deeper assessment of Rooibos ’ pharmacological qualities has been concluded , it will give an indication of how Rooibos can be used in the future .
To date , the SARC has contributed more than R21m towards Rooibos-related research .
FEB | MRT 2023 GROND TOT MOND 21