Rooibos (also known as redbush tea or South African red tea) is an herbal tea made from the Aspalathus linearis plant. Rooibos tea has a number of purported health benefits. Rooibos is caffeine free. Some people believe that it may aid in relieving allergies, and great for hair, teeth, skin, and bones, and that it may aid digestion.

Rooibos is also used in skin care products including soaps, lotions, and sunscreen.

Although Rooibos has not been studied as thoroughly as tea (regular black tea, green tea, and other teas from the Camellia sinensis plant), there is a growing body of evidence, mostly from animal studies, that has given some support to some of the medicinal uses and health benefits of Rooibos.

Some of the benefits that have been backed up by some scientific studies include treatment for Asthma (rooibos acts as a bronchodilator, making it easier to breathe), and protecting against radiation damage and liver damage. These benefits were all found to hold after drinking rooibos tea. Some studies have also found evidence in support of the topical use of rooibos in skin care products, finding that it provides a modest increase in protection against sunburn.

Tea is an infusion made by steeping processed parts of the tea bush, Camellia sinensis, in hot water for a few minutes.

Many different parts of the plant are used. Usually, the top two leaves and the leaf bud are used, but some teas include larger, more mature leaves, and a few teas include stems, twigs, and other parts of the tea plant.

The processing can include processes to bruise or crush the leaves, encouraging them to oxidize, heating (steaming or pan-firing) to stop the oxidation, and drying. These different methods of processing, and also the different regions and different times of harvesting, can result in different types of tea with radically different flavor, aroma, and other qualified. Teas can be broadly classified as black tea, oolong tea, green tea, and white tea, and there are many sub-varieties of each of these types.

Tea is sometimes blended or scented with other ingredients or flavorings, leading to flavored teas or scented teas. Herbal teas are not proper teas as they do not contain the tea plant.

No, they are made from different flowers.

Chamomile tea can be made from several different plants, but the most commonly used plant is Matricaria recutita, also known as German chamomile. Similarly, there are several species of dandelion; the most common one is Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion.

Chamomile tea is widely consumed as a beverage, whereas dandelion tea is usually only consumed as a medicinal or wellness tea. Chamomile also has medicinal properties as well...it is relaxing and shows some promise of having other medicinal effects and health benefits.

The wood of the yew, because of its toughness, has always been suited for abuse-prone posts and furniture. Yet, yew played a much more important role in history.

The formidable English military weapon of the Middle Ages -- the longbow -- was made of yew. In fact the law decreed only royal longbowman could have yew bows. Commoners had to settle for ash and elm. At times, yew became scarce, and the English had to import their bow wood from Spain and Italy. At the Battle of Crecy on August 26, 1346, the English devotion to yew longbows became well-justified. The rapid-firing longbowmen destroyed the French cavalry and carried the day.

Although the wood of Pacific yew has been used for furniture and handicrafts, for many years this species was considered an impediment to the harvest of larger timber trees. Therefore, many stands were indiscriminately cut down. More recently an extract of the bark of this species was found to yield a compound (taxol) that is a potent drug for the treatment of certain types of cancer. Unfortunately, the plants grow slowly and must be some 100 years old before the bark is harvest able. This has led to the destruction of more wild populations but also to a search for related species of the genus Taxus that might contain taxol.

One of the properties the tree is used for:

The chemotherapy drug paclitaxel, used in breast, ovarian and lung cancer treatment, is derived from Taxus brevifolia. As it was already becoming increasingly scarce when its chemotherapeutic potential was realized, the Pacific Yew was never commercially harvested from its habitat in the large scale; the widespread use of the paclitaxel was enabled when a semi-synthetic pathway was developed from extracts of cultivated yews of other species. Unlicensed pharmaceutical production use of closely-related wild yew species in India and China may be threatening some of those species.

One person's recipe was:

1. Take between 7 and 10 stalks of stems and leaves and put them in a 3 quart pan and add 4 cups of water, bring to a boil. Let them sit for 20 Minutes

2. Strain a cup of sugar, and add enough water to make a gallon of tea. You can add more leaves if you want stronger tea.

3. Add ice if desired.

Note: there are different species and cultivars (varieties) of mint, and some are stronger than others. For example, peppermint (with the same aroma as a candy-cane) tends to have a very strong aroma which can be overwhelming, and thus less mint is required per unit water. Spearmint, apple mint, and most other mints, have a milder aroma, and more leaf can be used.