Sometimes, breakthroughs come in strange ways. Newton’s apple and gravity… Fleming’s bread and penicillin… Little accidents that led to big discoveries.

Like the secret to healthier, younger-looking skin hidden at the back of a kitchen cupboard.

Here’s the story:

Not long ago, I heard about a dermatologist who spent years researching the best natural skin care ingredients and ways to keep skin looking young. As you can imagine, his dedication made him very popular with his patients.

But he never quite got along with his mother-in-law. You see, he’s very serious about health. And she… Well, she smoked, drank, ate sweets, and fried foods… pretty much everything you shouldn’t do to keep healthy.

In spite of her bad habits, she lived into her 90’s – and had absolutely beautiful skin.

After she passed away, the doctor and his family cleaned out her home. And in her kitchen cupboards, the doctor came across tins of an African tea called rooibos (pronounced: ROY-boss).

The doctor was curious… and made a mental note to look into the strange stuff. He didn’t realize it then, but he’d just uncovered his mother-in-law’s secret to seemingly ageless skin.

A secret I’m about to share with you.

If you come from South Africa – as the mother-in-law’s caretaker did – then you may know about rooibos. But, outside its home country, this herb isn’t well known.

Rooibos is a bushy herb that grows within a very small range. Locals use it to prepare a drink they call red tea. They use red tea for many health conditions, including digestive distress and nervousness. Native healers also apply it topically to soothe dry skin.

And that was the mother-in-law’s beauty secret.

To begin with, red tea is loaded with antioxidants. And here’s why that’s important for your skin:

You see, you’re constantly bombarded by environmental stressors, whether they’re from pollutants in the air or exposure to the sun. This exposure causes the formation of molecules called free radicals that can damage your skin cells. While you’re young, your body’s antioxidant defenses can usually handle this assault.

But our antioxidant defenses become weaker as we grow older. Eventually, the free radicals overwhelm your body’s dwindling defenses… and you can’t keep up with the damage. Without some kind of outside help, your skin begins to lose its tone and show other signs of aging.

But both animal and human studies show the antioxidants in red tea help support the health of your skin.₁

And red tea delivers more than just antioxidant power. Japanese researchers confirm it helps soothe your skin, too.₂

Of course, environmental exposure to pollutants and the sun all contribute to the appearance of aging. So red tea isn’t just healthy… it promotes younger-looking skin, too.

In fact, researchers in Thailand recently tested a red tea skin formula against other natural products. They found the red tea formula was more than twice as effective as the competition in reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

In other words, red tea is almost a complete skin care kit just by itself.₃

You can probably see why I’m so excited about red tea. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Here’s how you can try it out for yourself…

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

1. Petrova, A. Modulation of ultraviolet light-induced skin carcinogenesis by extracts of rooibos and honeybush using a mouse model: elucidating possible protective mechanisms (2009). CPUT Theses & Dissertations. Paper 91.
2. Shindo, Y. and Kato, K., 1991. Effect of rooibos tea on some dermatological diseases. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Tea Science. The Organizing Committee of ISTS, Shizuoka, Japan, p. 385-389.
3. Chuarienthong P, et al. “Clinical efficacy comparison of anti-wrinkle cosmetics containing herbal flavonoids.” Int J Cosmet Sci. 2010 Apr;32(2):99-106.

Women of the Khoikhoi tribe have the most beautiful skin in the world. Young women have flawless complexions, and the elders have few lines or wrinkles.

The Khoikhoi live in a mountain range just north of Cape Town, South Africa. They live in very primitive conditions compared to the life you’re used to.

So, imagine what it must be like for a young woman in the tribe to take care of her skin.

You’d see the village medicine woman. And, most likely, she’d reach deep into her medicine bag and pull out a handful of dried, red herbs.

“Rooibos…” she’d say, as she poured the herbs into your palm.

Medicine women have used this red herb for centuries. They make an extract out of the red leaves to treat serious skin conditions and allergies. It’s also called “Red Tea.”

Women in the village saw the healing power of the extract when they used it on their children’s skin. So they began using it themselves. And they still use it today.

Red tea is a member of the legume family and not a true tea. Red tea is a storehouse of antioxidants, vitamin C, and quercetin.₁

Vitamin C and quercetin soothe, refresh, and protect your skin while increasing collagen and fibronectin beneath the surface._2,3

Collagen forms the mesh beneath your skin that keeps it wrinkle-free in appearance. Fibronectin increases your collagen. It helps to tighten your skin and heal any imperfections.

The rich combination of antioxidants mops up free radicals.₄ Free radicals cause the damage you see from being exposed to pollution, toxins, and smoking. They make you age before your time.

You can find red tea at most grocery or specialty tea stores. It comes in tea bags and as a powder that you mix into water. You can use it to make your own skin-refreshing face mask:

1. Mix red tea powder in water or steep a cup of tea until it’s strong.

2. Mix the tea with ground oatmeal or potato flour to make a paste. You can add yogurt, honey, blended avocado, strawberries, or other ingredients to get the consistency you like.

3. Apply the mixture to your skin for 10-20 minutes and rinse with warm red tea.

But if this seems like too much work, don’t worry. We’ll do the work for you. We’re going to put this red tea leaf extract into our body wash and body lotion for you to use.

They’ll be out soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

1. Marnewick, J. “Rooibos and Honeybush: Recent Advances in Chemistry, Biological Activity and Pharmacognosy.” American Chemical Society. 2009. 16:277-294
2. Ibid.
3. Duarte, TL., Lunec, J. “Review: Part of the Series: From Dietary Antioxidants to Regulators in Cellular Signalling and Gene Expression: Review: When is an antioxidant not an antioxidant? A review of novel actions and reactions of vitamin C.” Informa Healthcare Free Radical Research. 2005;39(7):671-686.
4. Ibid.