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Rooibos is a shrub from South Africa, it has been known in Europe for only 100 years. Its leaves are processed like tea leaves and used as an infusion for drinking. Rooibos tea has a mild, sweet taste and an amber color. It has a wide range of medicinal uses, mainly due to the presence of antioxidants.
Rooibos , or African red bush (Aspalathus linearis), is a plant that grows in South Africa in the Cederberg Mountains, which are located about 300 km from Cape Town. The natural habitat of the plant was used to organize large-scale cultivation and nowadays there are rooibos plantations in this area. It is an unfriendly area for other plants, it is characterized by sandy soils and very dry summer. Since rooibos has always grown there, there is no need for fertilizers or parasite protection. It is common to call rooibos tea, but this shrub is not related to tea plants. The plant reaches a height of 1-1.5 m. The leaves of the rooibos are narrow and oblong, shaped like needles. They are usually harvested in the middle of summer, i.e. in January, and then cut into 2-3 mm needles.
How is rooibos made?
Like tea, rooibos can be fermented. To this end, the moistened leaves are piled up in 20 cm piles and left for a few days in a warm place. During this time, the rooibos turns reddish brown. The leaves are then sun dried to a moisture content of 10%.
Red fermented rooibos are more famous in the world, but green rooibos are also drunk.
Rooibos has been known for generations in South Africa. It came to Europe only in 1904 thanks to the Russian merchant Benjamin Ginsberg, whose family was selling tea. In Africa, Dutch settlers also drank rooibos, who treated the brew as a substitute for expensive black tea. The popularity of rooibos grew after 1930, when Dr. Peter Le Fras Nortier, a surgeon and botanist, began experimenting with the cultivation of the plant.
Rooibos - brewing and serving
RooibosBrew for 4-5 minutes with water at 95 degrees Celsius. For one cup of water it usesa heaping teaspoon of tea. Rooibos can be purchased in leaves and pouches.
Leaves are best brewed with a paper filter as they pass through the sieves when finely chopped. The red rooibos infusion has a brown color and a sweetish taste, and its aroma is characteristic, described as fruity and earthy. Green rooibos has a grassy aftertaste.
You can make iced tea with rooibos. Pour 3 tablespoons of dried water over a liter of boiling water, filter, cool, add a tablespoon of honey and the juice of half a lemon, then put in the fridge for a few hours.
The tea contains little tannins, so you don't feel the bitterness in its taste. Like all herbal teas, rooibos is caffeine-free, so it has no stimulating effect and can be drunk just before going to bed. Rooibos is often used in tea blends. It is used with other herbs as a base or additional ingredient. You can buy rooibos flavored with strawberry and vanilla, less often with bergamot or the addition of hot spices. It is also found in blends with black and green teas. Rooibos tastes good when served with milk and sugar. You can drink the infusion cold and warm, with the addition of fruit juices, which give a refreshing effect, and honey, which emphasizes the natural aroma of the infusion.
Worth knowingRooibos squad
Fresh rooibos leaves are rich in vitamin C. The tea is caffeine-free and low in tannins, which hinder the absorption of micro and macro elements. A 200 ml glass of rooibos infusion contains potassium (7.12 mg), sodium (6.16 mg), magnesium (1.57 mg), calcium (1.09 mg), as well as fluorine, copper, iron, manganese and zinc.
Rooibos is primarily a source of antioxidants: polyphenols, flavonols, dihydrochalcones, aspalathin and nothofagin. The processed leaves contain cinnamic and benzoic acid, which both have a bactericidal and fungicidal effect.
Rooibos - healing properties
Rooibos has been appreciated in folk medicine for many generations, and now its he alth properties are confirmed by scientific research. It can be used in many areas of treatment and is recommended for everyone who cares about he alth and good shape.
- Protects against free radical attacks . Rooibos infusion is rich in antioxidants that inhibit the action of oxidative substances that enter the body from the environment and are produced by cells through physiological processes. Antioxidants protect the DNA and proteins of cells, preventing adverse changes and mutations.
- Lowers blood pressure . Rooibos is known as a remedyrelieving stress and nervous tension and the associated increased blood pressure.
- Has a beneficial effect on the circulatory system . Better functioning of the cardiovascular system in people who regularly drink rooibos is due to the presence of antioxidants, as well as inhibition of the enzyme angiotensin converting enzyme, which is a risk factor for heart disease. Among these people, mortality from cardiovascular events was also lower, but the exact mechanism of the phenomenon is not known.
- Helps with type II diabetes . The antioxidant aspalathin in rooibos infusion has a beneficial effect in type II diabetes. It balances blood sugar levels, increases the sensitivity of tissues to insulin, improves the use of glucose by the muscles and affects the secretion of insulin by the pancreas. Rooibos can be used in the prevention of type II diabetes and in people with disease to improve their condition and prevent blood glucose spikes. Glucose tolerance in subjects with type II diabetes improved after 5 weeks of drinking rooibos on a regular basis.
- Supports liver regeneration . Studies in mice have shown that the daily use of rooibos in amounts that can normally be drunk by humans accelerates the recovery of the liver.
- Relieves colic in children and abdominal pain . Rooibos infusion has been traditionally given to young children for colic. It was mixed with a little milk to improve the taste. Rooibos can also be used in adults for stomach pain and upset stomach. One cup already soothes ailments. The anti-inflammatory quercetin in rooibos is probably responsible for this effect. In addition, the tea has diastolic properties, prevents diarrhea and other intestinal ailments.
- Has anti-cancer effect . Drinking rooibos lowers the risk of cancer due to its antioxidant content. Extracts of this tea can be used in conjunction with medications in case of cancer.
- Supports the treatment of skin problems . Rooibos is helpful for rash, eczema, acne, irritation, dry skin and sunburn, as well as chafing in young children. It protects the skin against premature aging and wrinkles. It can be used as a compress. The beneficial properties of rooibos are due to the presence of alpha-hydroxy acids and zinc.
- Has a beneficial effect on the respiratory tract . In folk medicine, rooibos is used for respiratory ailments such as asthma and bronchitis. Studies in rats have shown a bronchodilator and supportive effectexpectoration with a tiring cough, which makes it suitable for use in respiratory diseases.