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Traditional healers of Southern Africa →

African wormwood tea (umhlonyane)

A bitter tea of South African wormwood, for coughs, colds and flu.

Traditional use

Time
10 minutes
Makes
1 cup
African wormwood

African wormwood (Artemisia afra) is called umhlonyane in isiXhosa and isiZulu and wildeals in Afrikaans. The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) lists a long range of uses, from coughs, colds and fever to headache. The leaves are drunk as a tea, and one of the most common practices is to put a fresh leaf in the nostrils to clear a blocked nose.

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp dried African wormwood leaf (or 3–4 fresh leaves)
  • 250 ml boiling water
  • Honey to taste

Step by step

  1. Put the leaves in a cup and pour the boiling water over them.
  2. Cover, steep for 5 minutes and strain.
  3. Sweeten with honey: the tea is very bitter. Drink it warm.

Tips

  • A fresh leaf, lightly crushed and rolled up, in each nostril: that is how many South Africans use it for a blocked nose.

Registry

Herbs in this recipe

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

  • Caution

    Africa · Herb · № 810

    African wormwood

    Artemisia afra

    A bitter, aromatic herb widely used in southern Africa for coughs, colds, fever and flu.

    Traditional healers of Southern Africa

Cultures and traditions

Where the herbs come from

The herbs in this recipe also appear in these traditions.