Rooibos tea (pronounced roy-boss) or also known as red or red bush tea has gain its popularity as a refreshing and delicious tea with loads of health benefits. And here in South Africa we are obsessed with this tea…. This tea is full of wonders and a true powerhouse of antioxidants!
This is a flavourful and caffeine-free tea. And is a great alternative to black or even green tea as it is 100% herbal. The name originates mostly from the red-ish colour of the brewed tea.
What is Rooibos tea?
This tea is comes from a plant called Aspalathus Linearis that usually grows on the west coast of South Africa in an area called Cederberg.
Traditionally the leaves and fine stems of this plants are chopped and hit with mallets then left to ferment. Once the chopped leaves & stems are fermented it’s then layed out to dry under the African sun. But these days this process has been improved and made easier with the help of machines.
Health Benefits?
Rooibos tea is not just loved for it’s great taste but also for the array of health benefits. Some health benefits include:
- Anti-inflammatory
- Anti- Viral
- Anti-spasmodic
- Allergy fighting
- Bone health promoting
- Cancer fighting
- Circulation enhancing
- Good for skin health
- Heart health support
- Immune boosting
- Slows Ageing
Here are just some of the great uses for rooibos tea :
Rooibos tea and animal care
When your beloved cat or dog has a skin irritation you can make a simple solution of rooibos tea to bath them in. By doing this you can help to relieve itchy skin, prevent the onset of eczema and other mild skin conditions.
Soak & rinse Solution: Simply soak a couple of tea bags in 2 Litres of boiling water for about 10 minutes. This will make a very strong tea. Cool this down until room temperature before you use it. You can add this solution to your pets bath water, or use this as a rinse after shampooing.
Make a Rooibos tea dog Biscuit:
250g Wholemeal flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
270 ml unsalted, natural peanut butter
220ml strong rooibos tea, cooled
2 rooibos tea bags (Leaves removed from the bag)
10 ml Coconut oil
Stir the flour & baking powder together. In A separate bowl mix peanut butter, tea, tea leaves and coconut oil together. Now stir in the flour mixture and blend until a dough has formed. On a floured surface roll out the dough to about 1 cm thickness. Using cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place on a greased baking tray 2 cm apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 ˚C for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the baking trays and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Our health with rooibos tea
Aids weight loss: Like green tea and black teas, Rooibos tea makes a great alternative for sugary drinks. Each cup only has 2 calories as long as you enjoy them with our any sweetner & milk /creamer. Drinking this and following a good diet can only have a positive effect on your mind & body. Have a look at this post for some diet information. http://www.livingdelish.com/is-the-best-diet-the-most-effective-diet/
Allergy reliever: Rooibos contains a flavonoid called Quercetin. This helps to prevent allergies from triggering. Rooibos almost works as an antihistamine but without the drowsy side effects. Although you can not replace any medication by using rooibos, it definitely assist as a allergy reliever.
Helps with pain: Since rooibos contains antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties it helps to reduce feelings of aches and pains.
It also contains anti-spasmodic compounds which help to alleviate stomach cramps.
Slows Ageing: The antioxidants present in rooibos is known to slow down the aging process and boost the immune system. This makes rooibos tea a beverage that helps to keep our body young. A lot of our skin care products contains rooibos that helps to fight skin ageing.
Helps blood circulation: Rooibos contains rare nutrients like bioflavonoids and quercetin that assists in good blood circulation.
At-home beauty treatments
Hair care: For beautiful shiny hair make a rinse solution by boiling 2 rooibos tea bags in a teapot for 5 – 10 minutes. Let this solution cool down until it has reached room temperature . Use as a rinse after washing your hair.
Eye care: Relieve tired or sensitive eyes with the help of rooibos. Use two used and cooled teabags and place them on your closed eyes. Keep it on your eyes for 5 minutes.
Acne fighting face mask: help fight acne and red angry skin with this simple to make face mask. Mix the following together and apply over your face. Leave it on for 15 minutes before rinsing off :
1 Strong cup of lukewarm rooibos tea
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons of oatmeal
Cooking with rooibos tea
Make a delicious and refreshing ice tea.
6 rooibos tea bags
1 sliced lemon
20 mint leaves
2 litres of Boiling water
sugar or honey to taste
Add all the ingredients in a large pot and allow to steep while stirring occasionally until the tea has cooled down.
Remove the teabags, lemon and mint leaves when the mixture has cooled off.
Refrigerate & enjoy!
Rooibos tea can be added to many recipes. The mild slightly sweet flavour compliment many bake goods like cakes and cookies. Or it can simply just be enjoyed on it’s own. It doesn’t matter which way you enjoy this
Rooibos tea is truly a guilt free drink with the added bonus of being super healthy!! 😉
