Catherine Saxelby's Foodwatch | Q. What is rooibos and is it really free of caffeine?

Q. What is rooibos and is it really free of caffeine?

 

A.   Rooibos or Red Tea is a herbal infusion made from the leaves and stems of a leguminous shrub (Aspalathus linearis) that is native to South Africa. It’s made in the same way as normal tea and is most commonly seen as red rooibus although there is a green rooibos. It has needle-like leaves that produce a hot drink with an attractive flavour and light red-brown colour.

It was traditionally drunk by indigenous tribes before moving into more general use in South Africa and then spreading across the world.  Once confined to health food stores, it is growing in popularity as it’s caffeine-free and low in tannins (bitter-tasting polyphenol compounds in regular tea).

 It’s not a true tea as it doesn’t come from leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, unlike black, green, white and oolong teas. Its big attraction is that it tastes almost the same as real tea but doesn’t contain any caffeine so is useful for anyone who finds caffeine interferes with their sleep.

 Claims have been made that Rooibos has a number of health benefits, but there is currently no convincing data as yet to support these claims. It appears to contain some phyto-chemicals but it’s early days in terms of research.

 Rooibos turns up in the ready-to-drink flavoured waters segment where it’s being used to impart a ‘health’ image along with ingredients such as aloe vera, vitamins, ginger and herbal extracts.

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