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Rooibos - The Red Tea
Since I first began formulating herb teas in the ‘70’s, one herb from South Africa always stood apart from the more than 100 herbs used in herbal tea formulations. There is nothing comparable in the herb tea world to rooibos, a deep red tea whose name translates to “red bush”. Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) was originally discovered by the indigenous Khoisan peoples, the Bushmen and Hottentots, of the South Western Cape region of South Africa. Rooibos is the only other tea in the world that undergoes a fermentation process like black tea (Camellia sinensis). Fermentation turns the green needles of fresh rooibos to a deep red color that brews into a rich, satisfying body with all the depth black tea drinkers expect. Just like black tea, you can drink rooibos with milk, a rarity in the caffeine-free world where herb teas are usually too light in body to combine well with milk. Tea drinkers find the taste of rooibos, the red tea, to be much more similar to black tea and many actually prefer the flavor of rooibos, which is slightly sweet and lacks the astringency of black tea. Rooibos, the red tea, can be enjoyed both hot and iced any time of the day or season.
Just like black and green tea, rooibos is full of polyphenols, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins that help protect the body from free radical damage. Free radicals attack healthy cells, fats, protein and DNA contributing to the weakening of the immune system and ultimately the development of chronic diseases including arteriosclerosis, inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, and cancer. Drinking rooibos tea daily, as the South Africans do, can help build the body's defenses against the onslaught of germs and pollution that attack our immune system continually. Scientific studies on rooibos from Japan and South Africa show that rooibos has comparable amounts of polyphenols to green tea and shows anti-mutagenic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral activity.
In addition to its antioxidant properties, rooibos is also famed for its anti-allergenic and anti-inflammatory properties. South African mothers feed their colicky babies rooibos tea, which also seems to help with milk allergies. Rooibos has been shown to help clear up various types of inflammatory dermatitis and seasonal allergies. Rooibos contains high levels of quercitin, a member of the flavonoid group found in fruits and vegetables. Quercitin inhibits the release of histamine and other inflammatory compounds. It decreases the inflammatory response in the mast cells of the nose & mouth & all mucous membranes. It also may have some anti-viral properties, which would explain why the Japanese have found that rooibos tea helps suppress the occurrence of herpes simplex in people who suffer from recurrent herpes.
Rooibos also contains calcium, fluoride, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and potassium along with other flavonoids such as rutin, and various proanthocyanidins. Drinking rooibos tea contributes to the maintenance of healthy skin, bones, teeth, and enhances the metabolic processes.
We offer a wide variety of rooibos teas formulated by Caroline MacDougall for a number of herbal tea companies on the Teeccino website. If you enjoy spicy teas, try rooibos chai by either Uncle Lee's Tea, Yogi Tea, or The Republic of Tea. A line of rooibos teas in a variety of flavors is marketed under The Red Tea line by The Republic of Tea. Click here to order these teas now. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to offer a free tea bag to taste rooibos tea as demand has greatly exceeded our supply!
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