Your opinion on Red Bush/Rooibos?

[muie]

I have been drinking this tea all the time for all purpose kind of thing. I heard its very healthy for you like green/white tea (full of antioxidants) and the plus side is it doesn't contain caffeine. I want to hear some opinions on this plant!

 

[Dave]

I hate it with a passion. Rooibos killed my dog. Rooibos is the devil. Rooibos caused the financial market collapse.

j/k, it's great. The flavour takes a while to get used to, especially if you're used to plain black tea, but it is just great stuff. It doesn't have caffeine, but I do still find it a bit stimulating, so I'm wondering if it has any other xanthines in it.

According to the internet, it actually has very few alkaloids in general. Interesting.

 

[The Liberal Media]

Love the stuff, prefer it iced with a dash of OJ , perfect for the summertime

 

[Pander Bear]

i like mine with some hibiscus in it.

 

[a thing]

Rooibos is teh shit. I usually have it plain, but it goes well with black tea too. Trader Joe's has an awesome blend with rooibos, orange peel, and some spices. If you cannot find this, I suggest trying to make yourself. Peppermint and stevia are nice additions.

It is not stimulating; it is sedative. If you have a very strong cup it can (almost) put you to sleep, especially if you have not had any for a long time (or never).

 

[Pander Bear]

link to proof of its sedative effects, plz.

 

[a thing]

link to proof of its sedative effects, plz.

I have no proof other than my experience and of some people I know. Searching on Google, many sites refer to rooibos being proven to help insomnia but do not have any citation.

 

[Dave]

Anecdotal evidence = moot. I don't know if it is chemically stimulating, but I'd highly doubt that it is sedating.

 

[The Liberal Media]

Its used to help babies sleep who are either teething or have colic in South Africa, so while its probably not "sedating", it def has some kind of soothing goodness

 

[cocamatic]

I drink it regularly... seems to kill any headaches I have despite not having any stimulants in it.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I like it with a little bit of vanilla flavoring.

love love love it

 

[Jabberwocky]

Anecdotal evidence = moot. I don't know if it is chemically stimulating, but I'd highly doubt that it is sedating.

not sure about that. For instance, with some research psychedelics anecdotal evidence is all we have. Its valuable in that case to hear about personal experience. Likewise, with some of these plants there simply hasn't been the research done. That doesn't mean personal experience is worthless though, does it?

 

[a thing]

I like it with a little bit of vanilla flavoring.

love love love it

Oh yess Vanilla goes great with tea too, especially black tea.

I drink it regularly... seems to kill any headaches I have despite not having any stimulants in it.

That could just be because you are drinking more water.

 

[Dave]

GP-- okay, sure. I'll concede that point. In my experience it was not sedating at all, and if anything mildly stimulating. The variability in subjective experience, without any proper studies being cited, would point to a strictly psychological effect. For me, hot clear drinks (like tea or coffee) are generally stimulating, so I would associate a new hot clear drink with stimulation. If you've heard beforehand that rooibos is sedating, then you're more likely to have a slightly sedating experience. It's sort of like confirmation bias that way-- in the absence of a physiological effect, you experience what you expect to experience.

Also, glad to see you back!

 

[Jabberwocky]

^ yeah I think you're probably right (about the psychological effect). It never felt like a 'drug' effect like coffee gives me.

thanks for the welcome back! The modfags decided to tempban me for some general hilarity in the cess pool that is the lounge. Those silly mods!

 

[Dave]

/me pours a 40 of rooibos on the curb for GP. Every few years the mods decide that they've had enough and start clamping down on the lounge. Remember kids-- friends don't let friends post in the lounge.

 

[underground_troll]

rooibos = good times had by all

 

[Nibiru]

Rooibos is great. You can get green rooibos too which is... wierd. Not as yummy, but good still, if you like very earthy herb teas.

 

[a thing]

Rooibos is great. You can get green rooibos too which is... wierd. Not as yummy, but good still, if you like very earthy herb teas.

Where do you get this? Seems worth a try.

 

[protovack]

I was just in S. Africa for a month and I developed a taste for rooibos. I remember sitting out under the stars at this great lodge at the Drakensburg mountains, sipping rooibos, and it seemed like the perfect experience.

Also, I found that the rooibos tea available in S. Africa is much better than anything I've found here, and I was drinking the cheap stuff in SA.

PS, it is mildly simulating for me as well.