The Wonder of Rooibos

I am fortunate to have a sister-in-law who happens to be a barrister at . She is always introducing me to new teas or new ways to drink certain teas and (regardless of my bias) is also one of the best tea-makers around.

One day we were getting a drink at Peet’s and she suggested I try one of her favorite concoctions: Red rooibos tea with steamed soy milk and honey. I had never heard of “rooibos” (pronounced "roy-bos") but was avoiding caffeine at the time due to the season of Lent, so a herbal tea sounded great. The cup landed all hot and frothy on the counter and I let it cool down just a touch before taking my first sip.

It was better than great.

The silkiness of the soy complimented the creamy texture of the red rooibos perfectly, and the honey was a comforting touch. I instantly became addicted and now drink between one and three cups a day.

You’ll hear similar stories from people who drink the South African red rooibos, which is known as “redbush” tea in the U.K. Everyone seems to get addicted to the nutty, sweet taste. And it is an addiction that appears to be very good for you.

My dad started drinking redbush tea in England after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I wish I could say he survived, but he did live well past the six-month diagnosis the doctors had given him. I have no idea if his longevity had anything to do with the tea, but I use the example to point out the reputation that red rooibos tea is garnering.

Scientists have been studying the benefits of black and green teas in cancer prevention for a while now, noting that the antioxidants in green tea especially seem to deter the onset of cancer in animals. Then the big break came for rooibos, which had been sitting almost unheard of on health food store shelves for as long as any health-foodie could remember.

In 2004, biochemist Dr. Jeanine Marnewick led a study at South Africa’s Medical Research Council to test the anti-cancer effects of rooibos tea on animals. The results were stunning. The rats and mice drinking the tea (imagine a rodent tea party) were found to have protection against a variety of cancers. Marnewick told the Guardian newspaper: “I now drink about a litre a day, five or six cups.”

I’m not quite up to five or six cups yet, but if Marnewick is right then we won’t just be drinking rooibos — one day we could be slathering it on our skin in the form of sunscreen, and picking it up at the pharmacy as a prescription from the doctor.

Bottom line: red rooibos is pretty much a miracle. The Aspalathus Linearis plant, which is actually a legume rather than a tea, is chock-full of antioxidants. Rooibos increases detoxifying liver enzymes and slows down DNA mutation. The tests in South Africa showed that rooibos was able to inhibit 90 percent of the bacterial DNA mutations that cause cancer. Cancer was induced in two groups of mice and only those who had been denied a treatment of rooibos developed tumors.

Scientists in the U.K. warned that rooibos could not be a replacement for a healthy lifestyle, and that clinical tests at the human level will require thousands of volunteers over a period of a decade. But in the mean time, the health benefits of rooibos are still manifold: it’s full of vitamins and minerals, is caffeine free and therefore low in toxicity, contains bone-fortifying nutrients, and can even be applied to the skin to treat conditions like eczma, acne and sunburn.

If that isn’t a reason to stop and have a tea break, I don’t know what is.

Try a cup of red rooibos tea with steamed soy milk and honey, or drink it South-African style with a slice of lemon and honey.

Any suggestions for tea houses, tea concoctions, or anything tea-related will be much appreciated. Or, if you'd like to open your doors and offer a cup of tea...

I'll see you at 3.