What Makes Rooibos so Unique?

If you go almost anywhere in the world, the chances of either seeing Rooibos rather slim, although the plants popularity is growing fast. This indigenous herb is unique to South Africa. It is only found and grown in this country, and forms part of the wide variety of our natural flora. Rooibos is a member of the large Fynbos family, and through the years studying Fynbos, we have seen the medicinal properties of all fynbos plants. Today we are going to tap into the uniqueness of Rooibos, the medicinal properties of it and why it is so special to have a such a powerful herb native to our country. 

Fynbos

It has been said that the diversity of Fynbos is one of the most diverse range of plants in the world. The amount of Fynbos found on Table Mountain in Cape Town alone has more bio diversity than most of the UK plants species. Rooibos being one of many members of the Fynbos family quickly became a fan favourite in South Africa as an everyday tea. The use of Rooibos dates back to the time of the Khoi San. Our ancient people were harvesting wild Rooibos in the Cederberg region and using it to treat many ailments, and brewed as a drinkable tea. We see now that other Fynbos plants are being mixed together to create new flavours and medicinal concoctions for all of us to enjoy. We are proudly one of these companies providing organic Rooibos and other Fynbos herbs to be enjoyed.

Origins of Rooibos

As we mentioned briefly above, the origins of Rooibos date back to the Khoi San times. The first people of South Africa were using the plant for many reasons - especially for medicinal purposes. The knowledge the Khoi San people had on their local flora and fauna was undoubtedly something of a miracle. They were truly people of the Earth and aided in the ongoing research of why Rooibos is such a miraculous plant. As time moved on, and researchers started looking into ancient methods and techniques of survival of our First People, the use of Rooibos was very apparent. This was backed by the introduction of farming Rooibos in the early agricultural era by Afrikaans Settlers. Rooibos soon became a staple to the South African diet and with that came a cultural phenomena that is so unique to the country. The smell, look and taste of Rooibos is a true feeling of South African spirit in many eyes.

Beneficial Properties of Rooibos

Not only is Rooibos a cultural favourite, it is a highly medicinal plant that has many healthy benefits. It is a highly anti oxidant plant, therefore a simple cup of Rooibos a day will aid in fighting toxins that have entered the body. Rooibos is also naturally caffeine free. Many teas have a percentage of caffein in them, making them not the healthiest tea for excessive consumption, however Rooibos is safe to drink as much as you like. Along the lines of the anti oxidant levels, the tea also promotes a healthy heart function. It aids in lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol.  It is the plants unique make up that provides all of these benefits, much like other indigenous plants. 

Paying homage to Rooibos

As we have seen so far, Rooibos is a unique and indigenous plant of South Africa, dating back to the first people of South Africa. This long lineage already shows how powerful and loved this plant is. When thinking back on the Khoi San people, it must be said again that it something of a miracle that they understood the properties of the plant and were able to utilise it for medicinal purposes. If one is to examine other indigenous plants, one will see that many of them have health benefits for people and other animals. Rooibos happens to have these benefits and carry a sense of heritage along with it.