Rooibos tea

Actual rooibo tea

The plant itself.

Potentially edible! Food woo

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Rooibos Tea (Aspalathus linearis) is an earthy, nutty-flavored herbal tea that has been subjected to a health craze.

It only grows naturally in a part of South Africa, a country known for its unique plant life that is different from pretty much the rest of the world.

Proven facts

Like with most "super foods", rooibos health claims start out on a level that's perfectly reasonable:

• Organic — true, only one country and company supply it and they pledged to be organic.
• Caffeine-free — though most herbal teas are.
• Full of antioxidants — true, many things are. The two studies looking at the antioxidant levels gave vastly different results. One stated rooibos had 50% more than green tea, and the other a good bit less than green tea. Antioxidants can be beneficial, but more is not necessarily better (i.e., in the case of very high doses).
• It can be consumed by people who have problems with regular tea (tannins/oxalic acid) — Just like many herbal teas.

In areas with sketchy water infrastructure, drinking tea brings the added benefit of forcing you to boil the water, which kills many water-borne pathogens.

Unfortunately, boiling water before drinking it can't protect you against lead and other nonvolatile contaminants still found in the water of some developing countries (and notably, Michigan).

Made-up facts

Unsurprisingly, the health claims quickly start diverging into the bizarre:

• There are claims (mostly New age type) that it's an old Japanese secret to long life — Of course, no one had seen this product before the 18^th century, when it started being used as a substitute for black tea by poor Dutch settlers in South Africa. It doesn't grow anywhere else, and it doesn't ship well. It hadn't started being produced commercially (or even seen in Japan) until 2000 and after Apartheid ended.
• Toxin cleanser — Researchers have found correlations for anti-fungal effects for skin infections on 11 dart frogs. It wasn't taken internally.

• It contains healthy minerals — There are no listings of mineral contents of rooibos tea outside of a nutritional supplement label or crank websites. Each seems to have its own list of what is in the tea.
• Protects the immune system — Nothing supports that, so: studies or it doesn't happen.
• Supports and cures gastrointestinal issues — Nothing supports that, so: studies or it doesn't happen.
• Protect against cardiovascular disease and diabetic vascular complications — Nothing supports that, save the figments of people's imagination.
• Protects against cancer — Hell, what super food doesn't (claim to)? There is insufficient evidence for this claim.
• It is used to prevent HIV infection, but there is insufficient evidence for this.
• It is used to prevent age-related dementia, but there is insufficient evidence for this.
• It is safe for infants and pregnant people — Okaaaay, and many other things aren't?

Put on the kettle

Like with most non-toxic herbals; if you like it, enjoy it for that reason.

Drinking Rooibos tea likely won't hurt (if consumed in moderation, assuming no prior health problems), and it might even be good for you. Just keep in mind that supposing so requires a leap of faith.

One sore part of you guaranteed to take a hit from this tea is located in the wallet region — there's no such thing as a free lunch tea.

And whatever you do, don't expect Rooibos (or any tea, for that matter) to perform any miracles.