Aspalathus linearis or Rooibos, meaning red bush, is a broom-like member of the plant family Fabaceae that grows in South Africa’s fynbos. The leaves are used to make a herbal tea that is called by the names rooibos, bush tea, red tea, or redbush tea. The San people, South Africa’s first-nation people, used Rooibos as a medicinal herb. It’s also possible that our pre-human ancestors drank Rooibos. Rooibos’ modern history is linked to the Chinese tea trade – when the Cape became a stop-over for European traders to the East.