Rooibos
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Aspalathus Species: A. linearis
Binomial name
Aspalathus linearis (N.L.Burm.) R.Dahlgr.

Flowers

Plant

Rooibos, (IPA: [ˈrɔɪbɔs], Afrikaans for "red bush"; scientific name Aspalathus linearis) is a member of the legume family of plants and is used to make a tisane (herbal tea). Commonly called South African red tea, the product has been popular in South Africa for generations and is now consumed in many countries. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (750x1000, 299 KB) Rooibos ready to put in water. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta—liverworts Anthocerotophyta—hornworts Bryophyta—mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta—rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta—zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta—clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta—trimerophytes Pteridophyta—ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta—seed ferns Pinophyta—conifers Cycadophyta—cycads Ginkgophyta—ginkgo Gnetophyta—gnetae Magnoliophyta—flowering plants... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of land plants. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class: this name is formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name Magnoliaceae by the termination -opsida (Art 16 of the ICBN). ... Families Fabaceae (legumes) Quillajaceae Polygalaceae (milkwort family) Surianaceae The Fabales are an order of flowering plants, included in the rosid group of dicotyledons. ... Subfamilies Faboideae Caesalpinioideae Mimosoideae References GRIN-CA 2002-09-01 The name Fabaceae belongs to either of two families, depending on viewpoint. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 3. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Look up Wiktionary:Swadesh lists for Afrikaans and Dutch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Subfamilies Faboideae Caesalpinioideae Mimosoideae References GRIN-CA 2002-09-01 The name Fabaceae belongs to either of two families, depending on viewpoint. ... Herbal tea A tisane, ptisan or herbal tea is any herbal infusion other than from the leaves of the tea bush (Camellia sinensis). ... Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ...

Production

Rooibos is only grown in a small area in the Cederberg region of the Western Cape province. Generally, the leaves are oxidized, or often inaccurately referred to as fermented, to produce the distinctive reddish-brown color, but unoxidized "green" rooibos is also produced. The Cederberg mountains and nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . ... Capital Cape Town Largest city Cape Town Premier Ebrahim Rasool Area - Total Ranked 4th 129,370 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 5th 4,524,335 35/km² Elevation Highest point: Seweweekspoort Peak at 2325 meters (7628 feet) Lowest point: sea level Languages Afrikaans (55. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Fermentation (biochemistry). ...

Use

In South Africa it is more usual to drink rooibos with milk and sugar, but elsewhere it is usually served without. The flavor of rooibos tea is often described as being sweet (without sugar added) and slightly nutty. Preparation of rooibos tea is essentially the same as black tea save that the flavor is improved by longer brewing. The resulting brew is a reddish brown color, perhaps explaining why rooibos is sometimes referred to as "red tea." Black tea Black tea is more oxidized than the green, oolong and white varieties; all four varieties are made from leaves of Camellia sinensis. ...

Several coffee shops in South Africa have recently begun to sell rooibos espresso, which is concentrated rooibos served and presented in the style of ordinary espresso (which is normally coffee-based). This has given rise to rooibos-based variations of coffee drinks such as red lattes and red cappuccinos. Espresso brewing, with a dark reddish-brown foam, called crema or schiuma. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Nutritional and Health Benefits

Rooibos is becoming more popular in Western countries particularly amongst health-conscious consumers, who appreciate it for its high level of antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), its lack of caffeine and its very low tannin levels (since tannins can affect the metabolism by decreasing absorption of certain nutrients like iron and protein) as opposed to fully oxidized black tea or unoxidized green tea leaves.^{[citation needed]} Like tea leaves, Rooibos can be served oxidized (red) or unoxidized (green), with the unoxidized version theoretically having more antioxidants intact. Space-filling model of the antioxidant metabolite glutathione. ... Structure of the monomeric unit of human superoxide dismutase 2 The enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1. ... Rolled sod Sod is turf and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots, or a piece of this material. ... Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound that acts as a stimulant in humans. ... Tannins are astringent, bitter-tasting plant polyphenols that bind and precipitate proteins. ... Green tea (绿茶) is tea that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. ...

History

Although rooibos was first reported in 1772 by botanist Carl Thunberg, the Khoisan people of the area had been using it for a long time and were aware of its medicinal value. The Dutch settlers to the Cape adopted rooibos as an alternative to black tea, an expensive commodity for the settlers who relied on supply ships from Europe. Until the 19th century, however, Dutch usage of the tea was minimal. Carl Peter Thunberg (November 11, 1743 _ August 8, 1828) was a Swedish naturalist. ... Khoisan (increasingly commonly spelled Khoesan or Khoe-San) is the name for two major ethnic groups of southern Africa. ... Black tea Black tea is more oxidized than the green, oolong and white varieties; all four varieties are made from leaves of Camellia sinensis. ...

In 1903, Benjamin Ginsberg (a Russian settler to the Cape and descendant of a famous tea family) realised the potential of rooibos and began trading with the local Khoisan people who were harvesting it. He sold his "Mountain Tea" to settlers in the Cape and shortly became the first exporter of rooibos using contacts from the family tea business. Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

In the 1930s, Ginsberg convinced a local doctor to experiment with cultivation of the plant. The attempts were successful, which led Ginsberg to encourage local farmers to cultivate the plant in the hope that it would become a profitable venture. The first attempts at large volume cultivation were a disaster due to the small size of the seeds. They are no larger than a grain of sand and so were difficult to find and gather. This resulted in the seeds soaring to an astounding £80 a pound, which was far too expensive for local farmers.

Fortunately for Ginsberg, who employed collectors of the seeds, one woman had found a rather unusual source of supply. While other collectors only brought in matchbox-sized quantities of the seed, she continually delivered large bags and was eventually persuaded to share her secret. She chanced upon ants dragging seed one day, while she was searching for the minute seeds. She followed their trail back to their nest and, on breaking it open, found a granary. Subfamilies Aenictogitoninae Agroecomyrmecinae Amblyoponinae (incl. ... Granary at Thiruparaithurai, Kumbakonam (old temple town), built around 1600-1634 A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. ...

Since then, rooibos has grown in popularity in South Africa and since about 2002 or so, has gained considerable momentum in the worldwide market. There are now (as of early 2007) a growing number of brand-name tea companies which sell this tea either straight-up or as a component in an ever-growing variety of blends.

The popularity of rooibos has also gained from its association with Precious Ramotswe, the Tswana detective in Alexander McCall Smith's series of novels about The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Mma Ramotswe's favourite drink is red bush tea (rooibos), which she often promotes as a therapeutic drink to her friends and clients - and hence the readers of the books. Precious Ramotswe is the fictional central character in The No. ... Tswana (Motswana, plural Batswana) is the name of a Southern African people. ... Ranahki 06:26, 27 April 2007 (UTC)Alexander (R.A.A.) Sandy McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, (born August 24, 1948) is a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. ... The No. ...

See Also

• Honeybush

Binomial name Cyclopia spp L. Vent. ...

External links

• Trade Environment Database entry on "rooibos" name dispute in US
• American Botanican Council research findings
• South African Medical Research Council research findings