Rooibos and Honeybush are herbal teas with a mild, inherently sweet and aromatic taste and slight woody undertones.  Honeybush is slightly sweeter in taste than Rooibos.  They are especially popular as a night-time drink due to the lack of caffeine. Rooibos and Honeybush are considered decaffeinated herbal teas since they do not have caffeine in their chemical properties (no caffeine to remove). 

While Rooibos is called a "tea" it is actually an herb from South Africa.  It differs greatly from tea (camellia sinensis). The color of brewed Rooibos can vary between light orange and dark reddish-brown, depending on how the tea was steeped, how and where it was produced, and conditions during the year of production.

With our Rooibos Honeybush blend (we call it Red-Honey) and our flavored Rooibos, we did not want to create designer flavors to overwhelm the natural Rooibos taste. We delicately blend our teas to create products that are subtle, well-balanced, with a full smooth aroma and taste to satisfy both the traditional Rooibos tea drinker and the one who enjoys Rooibos with a "lift."

We use only 100% natural flavorings for our flavored teas.

Our Rooibos tea is certified organic by Ecocert International. Production and labelling of organic products in the European Union is regulated by the Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91 of 24 June 1991 on organic production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and processed foodstuff. This certification takes place on a yearly basis.

We are especially conscious of the health benefits of Rooibos and Honeybush.  Our customers report improved conditions in Crohn's disease, arthritis, nausea from cancer treatment, insomnia, colic, and relief of flatulence.  They brag about improved skin appearance, lack of joint pain, relief from colitis and diverticulitis, and particularly about the sense of well-being they feel after drinking one to two cups of Rooibos daily

Medical Reports:

Luteolin

Luteolin is such a good antioxidant that it can help the body withstand radiation and chemotherapy. In a study from Japan, researchers went looking for the factor in rooibos tea that was protecting DNA from radiation-induced free radicals. They discovered that the protective factor is luteolin. They then treated mice with pure luteolin. The flavonoid gave dramatic protection to the bone marrow and spleen against radiation. It was better than any other plant derivative tested (see Free Radicals chart). They then tested luteolin in conjunction with doxorubicin (Adriamycin), a common chemo-therapeutic drug known for its cardiac and bone marrow toxicity. Doxorubicin caused lipid peroxidation to rise in bone marrow to 5.9 times normal and cardiac rose to 1.5 times normal. Luteolin provided dramatic protection against this drug-induced free radical damage. Bone marrow peroxidation decreased 91% and CPK levels (an indication of heart damage) were normalized by luteolin. Importantly, luteolin did not interfere with the therapeutic effects of doxorubicin. 

Excerpt from "Life Extension(insert sales mark sm) Foundation"  "Anti-Aging Therapies'  LE Magazine, April 2001

Radioprotective Effects of Antioxidative Plant Flavonoids in Mice

Shimoi K, Masuda S, Shen B, Furugori M, Kinae N.

Laboratory of Food Hygiene, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Japan.

Radioprotective effects of tea infusions and plant flavonoids were investigated by using the micronucleus test for anticlastogenic activity and the thiobarbituric acid assay for antioxidative activity. A single gastric intubation of rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) infusion at 1 ml per mouse 2 h prior to gama-ray irradiation (1.5 Gy) reduced the frequency of micronucleated reticulocytes (MNRETs). After the fractionation of rooibos tea infusion, the flavonoid fraction was found to be most anticlastogenic and antioxidative. From this fraction, luteolin was isolated as an effective component. Then, anticlastogenic effects of 12 flavonoids containing luteolin and their antioxidative activities against lipid peroxidation by Fenton's reagent were examined. A good correlation (r=0.717) was observed between both activities. Luteolin showed the most effective potency. A gastric intubation of luteolin (10 micromoles/kg) 2 h prior to gamma-ray irradiation (6 Gy) suppressed lipid peroxidation in mouse bone marrow and spleen and a trend of protective effect of luteolin against the decrease of endogenous ascorbic acid in mouse bone marrow after gamma-ray irradiation (3 Gy) was observed. These results suggest that plant flavonoids, which show antioxidative potency in vitro, work as antioxidants in vivo and their radioprotective effects may be attributed to their scavenging potency towards free radicals such as hydroxyl radicals. Therefore, the flavonoids contained in tea, vegetables and fruits seem to be important as antioxidants in the human diet.

PMID: 8657176 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]