Herbal History

Rooibos, Aspalathus linearis

Tea from the rooibos (pronounced ROY-boss) bush is becoming more popular since marketers began touting it as an excellent source of antioxidants. Researchers discovered that this mild tasting tea was rich in polyphenols plant based nutrients that have a potent antioxidant effect.

Rooibos is grown in a small area of South Africa near the town of Cedarberg. The needle-like leaves and stems are harvested in the summertime and then processed by either fermenting to make red tea or kept unfermented to make a yellow/tan tea.

Fermenting is done today as it has been done for hundreds of years. Recently, it was discovered that the green rooibos tea has more antioxidants than the fermented tea. Both the green tea and the fermented leaves are packaged loose tea or in tea bags.

taste that is pleasant to drink either hot or cold. The unfermented has a "green" taste without the astringent taste. The fermented tea has a stronger sweet and fruity taste.

There have been over 50 studies discovering the phytonutrient values of rooibos tea and its effect on cancer in the test tube and with animals, but none have been done on humans. Rooibos tea shows good results on cancer in mouse studies. It also proves useful in preventing cancer from exposure to x-rays. Rat studies show fermented rooibos tea to greatly reduce lipid peroxidation in four areas of the brain compared to rats that drank water.

Folklore has indicated that rooibos tea is useful for colic, allergies, and other ailments. Since it has zero caffeine and very low tannin, it does not need to be subjected to decaffeination such as green or black tea.