The name “rooibos tea” means “red bush”. This tea is native to South Africa and is made from the oxidized leaves of the Aspalathuslinearis tree. Traditionally, Africans collected leaves of the wild rooibos tree in the mountains, rolled them into special bags, brought them home with the help of donkeys, then chopped and dried rooibos leaves in the sun. The tea has reddish-brown color. Unoxidized “green tea” is also produced, but in smaller amounts, because the strict and difficult process of production makes this sort of tea quite expensive. Due to the rooibos tea benefits, the drink became extremely popular in Western countries. Today rooibos benefits are known all over the world.
If you are fond of rooibos tea, you must know that it is safe to drink it even for enormous amounts (no more than five-six cups a dayof course). It iscaffeine free. Rooibos tea contains a great number of antioxidants, minerals (iron, magnesium, manganese, calcium)and phenols, which help our organism to fight against and prevent:
- liver problems;
- insomnia;
- Parkinson’s disease;
- skin problems;
- Alzheimer’s disease;
- stomach disorders;
- cancer;
- HIV infections;
- heart problems.
If you want to take advantage of all these benefits of rooibos tea and use it as a medicine, consult your doctor. There isn’t enough information about using this tea in medicinal amounts.