rooibos tea

Rooibos

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Rooibos
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Tribe:	Crotalarieae
Genus:	Aspalathus
Species:	A. linearis
Binomial name
Aspalathus linearis (N.L.Burm.) R.Dahlgr.

Flowers

Plant

Rooibos (Anglicized pronunciation: /ˈrɔɪbɒs/ ROY-bos;^[1] Afrikaans pronunciation: [rɔːibɔs], "red bush"; scientific name Aspalathus linearis) is a broom-like member of the legume family of plants growing in South Africa's fynbos.
The generic name comes from the plant Calicotome villosa, aspalathos in Greek. This plant has very similar growth and flowers to the redbush. The specific name linearis comes from the plant's linear growing structure and needle-like leaves.
The plant is used to make a herbal tea called rooibos tea, bush tea (esp. Southern Africa), redbush tea (esp. UK), South African red tea, or red tea. The product has been popular in Southern Africa for generations and is now consumed in many countries. It is sometimes spelled rooibosch in accordance with the old Dutch etymology.

Contents [hide] 1 Production 2 Use 3 Nutritional and health benefits 3.1 Scientific study 4 Grading 5 History 5.1 US trademark controversy 5.2 Legal protection of the name Rooibos 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Production

Green rooibos tea

Rooibos Tea in a glass

A Rooibos-infused liqueur and Rooibos tea

Rooibos is grown only in a small area in the region of the Western Cape province of South Africa.^[2] Generally, the leaves are oxidized, a process often, inaccurately, referred to as fermentation by analogy with tea-processing terminology. This process produces the distinctive reddish-brown colour of rooibos and enhances the flavour. Unoxidized "green" rooibos is also produced, but the more demanding production process for green rooibos (similar to the method by which green tea is produced) makes it more expensive than traditional rooibos. It carries a malty and slightly grassy flavour somewhat different from its red counterpart.

[edit] Use

In South Africa it is common to prepare rooibos tea in the same manner as black tea, and add milk and sugar to taste. Other methods include a slice of lemon and using honey instead of sugar to sweeten.
Several coffee shops in South Africa have recently begun to sell "red espresso", which is concentrated rooibos served and presented in the style of ordinary espresso. This has given rise to rooibos-based variations of coffee drinks such as red lattes and red cappuccinos. Iced tea made from rooibos has recently been introduced in South Africa, Australia, and in the United States. A variant of a London Fog, known as a Cape Town Fog, can also be made using Rooibos steeped in steamed milk with vanilla syrup.

[edit] Nutritional and health benefits

Rooibos is becoming more popular in Western countries, particularly among health-conscious consumers, due to its high level of antioxidants such as aspalathin^[3] and nothofagin, its lack of caffeine, and its low tannin levels compared to fully oxidized black tea or unoxidized green tea leaves.^[4] Rooibos also contains a number of phenolic compounds, including flavanols, flavones, flavanones, and dihydrochalcones.^[5]
Rooibos is purported to assist with nervous tension, allergies and digestive problems.^[6] Rooibos tea has been shown to inhibit in vitro activity of xanthine oxidase, yet an in vivo study has not been conducted. Xanthine oxidase (XO) plays a role in conversion of purine to uric acid in humans and reducing the activity of XO could limit uric acid production, which would aid in treatment of gout. In in vitro tests only, for the specific concentration tested, the tea was shown to be less than half as effective as allopurinol, which is the drug typically prescribed to inhibit XO activity in treating gout.^[7]
Two rooibos flavonoids, quercetin and luteolin have been known to have cancer fighting qualities.^[8] Rooibos does not contain the antioxidant Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).^[9]
Traditional medicinal uses of rooibos in South Africa include alleviating infantile colic, allergies, asthma and dermatological problems.^[10][11]

[edit] Scientific study