Scientists uncovering the health benefits of rooibos will receive a boost of close to R10-million, thanks to a partnership between the Department of Science and Innovation, and the South African Rooibos Council.

The department has made R4.8-million available through its Sector Innovation Fund, to match the amount put forward by the Rooibos Council. The Sector Innovation Fund was launched in 2013 to increase the competitiveness of various sectors by encouraging investment in research.

The council announced the investment in further research into the health benefits of rooibos on Wednesday at an event in Cape Town to showcase some of the recently completed studies on the indigenous plant.

The funding will allow researchers to delve deeper into rooibos tea's ability to protect against Alzheimer's disease, target oxidative damage, prevent and manage inflammatory bowel syndrome, protect the heart from oxidative stress, reduce nasal allergy, and counter diseases like heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and insulin resistance.

'CO-FUNDING ARRANGEMENT'
Sunita Kalan, the department's director of sector and local innovation, said the funding would be channelled into research projects identified by the Rooibos Council.

Kalan said: "Given the decline in private sector investment into R&D (research and development) in recent years, the Sector Innovation Fund has helped to create an enabling environment for RDI (research, development and innovation) priorities that are largely driven by the industry in a co-funding arrangement with government."

"The intention is to explore new approaches to fostering RDI partnerships with the private sector, as well as building stronger links between industry and the public science system," she said.

The council will select research projects from submissions made by academic institutions, said Joe Swart, research director at the SA Rooibos Council.

Based on the submissions, researchers will be invited to present to the council, and their proposals will be vetted by consulting researchers before any funding is awarded.

One of the primary roles of the council is to establish a scientific evidence base for the health benefits of rooibos, said Swart.

To date, it has contributed more than R21-million towards rooibos-related research, and since 2016, the council has funded 23 studies. The body of research has been published in 35 different articles and presented at 53 conferences.

Swart said that 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.

According to Swart, the economic opportunities that will flow from increased research have the potential to be significant.

"Learning more about rooibos and its properties will also contribute to economic diversification, that will create benefits all the way down the rooibos supply chain, while enabling the industry to expand into new markets," he said.

This year, the rooibos tea industry paid R12.2-million to groups representing indigenous people in the country, as part of a benefit-sharing agreement to recognise the original cultivators of the plant, News24 previously reported. The funds were paid into a trust controlled by the Khoi and San people and were intended to be used to improve the lives of those communities.

Grown only in the Cederberg in the Western Cape, rooibos has become increasingly sought after in export markets, especially in Europe. It was granted protected designation of origin (PDO) status in 2021.