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Herbs & Cultures

Khoi and San knowledge of rooibos →

Buchu tea

Tea of the fragrant leaves of buchu, a household remedy at the Cape for centuries for stomach complaints.

Traditional use

Time
15 minutes
Makes
1 cup
Buchu

The word buchu comes from the Khoi and San, who rubbed the dried leaf mixed with oil or fat onto their skin. Colonists at the Cape adopted the plant from them. As a tea, in brandy or in vinegar, buchu became a household remedy for stomach complaints, colds and kidney and bladder problems.

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp dried buchu leaf
  • 250 ml boiling water
  • Honey to taste

Step by step

  1. Pour the boiling water over the leaf.
  2. Cover, steep for 10 minutes and strain.
  3. Drink warm, with a little honey if you like. No more than 2 cups a day.

Tips

  • Buchu vinegar, leaves steeped in vinegar for a few weeks, was used externally at the Cape for bruises and sprains.

Registry

Herbs in this recipe

Read more about effects and safety on each herb’s page.

  • Caution

    Africa · Herb · № 26

    Buchu

    Agathosma betulina

    Fragrant leaves used as a flavoring and in folk medicine; clinical evidence for treatment is lacking.

    Local African healing traditions+3

Cultures and traditions

Where the herbs come from

The herbs in this recipe also appear in these traditions.