The toxic contaminants of Aspalathus linearis plant material as well as herb-drug interactions may constitute the health risk factors in daily rooibos tea consumers

摘要

Rooibos tea is brewed using Aspalathus linearis plant material sensitive to environmental contamination. This review covers the safety data from preclinical experiments as well as human studies and delivers a report on its hepatic activity. In vitro tea investigation reveals antioxidative and anti-mutagenic features and ability to modulate microsomal enzymes. In rodent research, it exerts protective or neutral impact on liver functions and morphology, yet several human case reports suggest possible acute hepatic damage. Summarizing rooibos consumption seems to be safe in terms of hepatotoxicity; however, there may be designated a group of consumers with higher risk of liver irritation. The contamination of plant material may contribute to herb-induced liver injury. Due to the impact on CYPs, there is a possible risk of herb-drug interactions affecting bioavailability of some co-administered medicines. Caution should be exercised in patients receiving the treatment with allopathic medicines to avoid untoward alteration of drug plasma concentration.