Is Rooibos Tea Acidic or Alkaline?
Rooibos tea (prepared) is neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
A cup of rooibos tea stays neutral at −0.1 per 100 ml. Brewing releases only traces of minerals from the needles into the water, and no protein at all. With 0 kcal, plain rooibos is as empty as water, just with flavor. A spoonful of honey or a splash of milk barely changes the balance. The drink stays unremarkable in every version.
In the Drinks category, rooibos tea (prepared) ranks #59 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Orange soda (−0.2), Iced tea (lemon, sweetened) (−0.2), Tonic water (−0.2). More acid-forming are Gin and tonic (−0.1), Tap water (−0.1), Agave syrup (0.0).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is rooibos tea acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Rooibos tea (prepared) has a PRAL of −0.1 per 100 ml, so it counts as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does rooibos tea count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At −0.1 per 100 ml, rooibos tea is in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat it without shifting your balance.
Rooibos Tea logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Drinks: Drinks table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.