Hormonal and Rooibos tea

Desny

I have found this wonderful tea.  Naturally decaffinated but has so many good things in it that I am afraid it might interfer with my Arimidex.  Does anyone know?  Anyone else on Arimidex use Rooibos tea on a regular basis?

Thank you for any input.

hrf

I've had Rooibos tea .. don't drink it often but it never occurred to me that it might interfere with Arimidex. 

peggy_j

This book

http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Guide-Cancer-3rd-Integrative/dp/1587613581 

has a table listing herbs that are helpful and which to avoid. (the book was in my library, maybe yours, too)? I can't find anything about herbal teas (either good or bad) but on p. 157 there's a short section on AIs and lists black and green tea as helpful, saying "back and green tea polyphenols have aromatase inhibitory activity."

Under tamoxifen they list licorice root (found in many herbal teas) as something to avoid because it has "potent estrogenic activities and may stimulate estrogen receptions on breast cancer cells." (not sure why it's listed for tamoxifen but not AIs. Wouldn't the behavior of the BC cells be the same?) 

FWIW, I asked my MO's nutritionist about any possible herbal/food interactions with tamoxifen and she pulled a ton of info from her database.  Maybe there's someone on your MO's staff you can do that too?

hrf

So Rooibos tea is a red tea from Africa. Do the books say anything about red tea?

peggy_j

So Rooibos tea is a red tea from Africa. Do the books say anything about red tea?

No. FWIW, when I googled several websites said that though it's called a red tea it's actually an herbal tea. Regardless, nothing about those (beside what I mentioned above, with the licorice root and other teas)

JSwan

A word of caution: http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/herb/rooibos-tea

Desny

I think I will wait it out and ask my onc about it.  I only have another 10 months on the Arimidex but I sure don't want to take it and have a nice tea interfere.  I will email her replay if I get one.

Thank you

LisaGH

thanks jswan for posting this link. i had no idea. i love teas & had recently tried this tea. i thought it would be fine & even helpful since it was caffeine free. oh well. glad to have seen this link. think i'll stick w/ black tea, green tea & my favorite organic chai. hope those are all ok??

peggy_j

Jswan, thanks for posting that link. FWIW, I searched that site using the keyword "estrogen" and it showed other substances we might want to consider, like ginseng. I didn't have time to read everything but FYI. 

Lisa, yes, green tea is a winner. Many sources, like that book Anti-Cancer, say it fights cancer. (but the Yogi brand tea has licorice root so I had to give that away and go for the plain green tea) I've heard that if you add lemon it improves the body's absorption of that special cancer-fighting agent. 

Renata

Yes please Desny, post her reply when you get it. I absolutely love Rooibo tea and drink between 1 and 3 huge mugs of it everyday (having one as I type). I don't take Arimidex but take Tamoxifen and sure hope Rooibo is safe because it tastes wonderful and is so relaxing.

emawalkerrrrr

Under tamoxifen they listing licorice root (located in many natural teas) as some thing to avoid as it has "powerful estrogenic activities and may stimulate estrogen receptions on breast cancer cells." But if you want an idea coffee maker or nespresso taste coffee machine, then do research(no longer positive why it's listed for tamoxifen however not AIs. Wouldn't the behavior of the BC cells be the equal?)

MelissaDallas

emawalkerrrr, the actions of tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors are very different. Tamoxifen prevents the estrogen receptors from taking up estrogen. Aromatase inhibitors prevent the body making exogenous estrogen post menopause (or with ovarian suppression or oopherectomy)

AliceBastable

I have to avoid green tea due to other health issues. It's always good to run new things by your doctor first.