Green tea has long been acknowledged for its health benefits. Like green tea, rooibos -- pronounced "roy-bose" -- contains antioxidants and polyphenols, which may explain its history of medicinal purposes. If you are looking for an alternative to black tea, compare the qualities of rooibos and green tea to determine which is best for your health concerns.
Origin
Rooibos tea is made from the rooibos bush, a red bush in South Africa, and is often referred to as red tea. Green tea comes from the camellia sinensis plant, and is most commonly grown in Japan and China.
Caffeine
Caffeine content is a major question when it comes to teas. It is important to monitor your intake of caffeine to prevent the development of negative symptoms such as dehydration, irritability or anxiety. Because rooibos is an herbal tea, it doesn't contain any caffeine. The caffeine content in green tea varies according to how it was made and how long it was brewed. The longer green tea is brewed, the higher the concentration of caffeine. According to MayoClinic.com, you can consume up to 500 mg of caffeine per day before experiencing adverse effects.
Preparation
The preparation for rooibos and green tea is the same but the quantities required to prepare it differ. For example, to prepare hot rooibos tea, add 1 1/2 tsp. of loose rooibos tea to 8 oz. of boiling hot water. Let the tea steep for five minutes. Add honey, sugar or artificial sweetener to taste. To make iced rooibos tea, use 3 tsp. of loose rooibos tea instead. Brew and sweeten the tea and add it to a glass of ice.
Prepare hot and iced green tea the same way, but use 1 tsp. of green tea for hot tea and 2 tsp. for iced tea.
Health Interactions & Benefits
Rooibos is a variety of tisane, or herbal tea. A review by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging affirmed that rooibos tea contains a variety of antioxidants. Antioxidants help to boost your immune system; this quality is also present in green tea.
Green tea has been historically used in the prevention and treatment of breast, stomach and skin cancers. Green tea contains vitamin K, which is essential to the clotting of your blood. If you are taking a medication to thin the blood, the vitamin K in green tea can interact negatively with it.
The National Cancer Institute states that tea may play a role in the treatment or prevention of cancer but research remains inconclusive as of 2011.
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