Rooibos

Aspalathus linearis · Red bush tea

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Cardiovascular risk¹ Metabolic syndrome² Blood glucose (rodent)³ Skin conditions⁴	Hormone-sensitive cancers⁴

Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) is a low-caffeine herbal tea made from South African leaves, popular in western countries because it is rich in the antioxidants aspalathin and nothofagin⁴. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity drives the uses that follow: cardiovascular risk support, glucose and lipid metabolism, and neuroprotection. It is also used for skin conditions such as acne and eczema⁴.

Human research is limited to about seven small trials, covering hydration, blood pressure-related enzyme activity, oxidative stress, kidney stones, and topical anti-wrinkle products. A single-dose crossover study in healthy volunteers found rooibos tea inhibited angiotensin-converting enzyme activity⁵. In collegiate wrestlers, it was no more effective than water for rehydration. A 2026 in vitro study found green and fermented extracts bound both estrogen receptor subtypes and showed antiestrogenic activity; no human trial has tested this. Products listing rooibos number 86, mostly tea bags plus some liquid extracts and a capsule; see Form comparison.

Case reports describe liver injury and elevated liver enzymes with long-term, large daily intake⁴. Memorial Sloan Kettering reports that heavy tea intake lowered tacrolimus concentrations in a transplant recipient, and its page advises caution in hormone-sensitive cancers⁴.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

34 sources, 25 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources