Buchu Tea
The word buchu refers to two plant species, Agathosma betulina, and Agathosma crenulata. Both are indigenous aromatic plants from South Africa and are known for their multiple healing properties. Buchu leaves have long been used in traditional medicine.
What is Buchu Tea?
Buchu tea is a rare, healing, and detoxifying herbal infusion.
“Detox teas have become popular to cleanse and purify the body in recent years. Buchu tea is one such detox tea, rich in antioxidants and minerals with other health benefits.”
Buchu tea can be prepared as a hot or cold infusion. The beverage has an aroma like blackcurrant; it tastes sweet and lemony. Some people say the flavour is like blackcurrant, rosemary, and peppermint. Other people describe the taste as pleasantly spicy.
BuchuVida offers two types of buchu tea:
When used properly, buchu is a safe and effective herbal remedy with a long history of use. Drinking up to 3 cups of buchu tea per day can maximise health benefits. However, as with any herbal remedy, it is important to consult with a healthcare provider before using buchu.
What Beneficial Compounds Are In Buchu Tea?
The active ingredients in buchu are thought to be the volatile oils, which give the herb its characteristic aroma and flavour, and health benefits.
Buchu is a valuable source of vitamins A, B, C, and E, and numerous minerals, antioxidants, and disease-preventing flavonoids. Buchu tea may also offer drinkers trace nutrients that benefit their health.
How to Make Buchu Tea?
To make a buchu tea, add 1-2 teaspoons of dried buchu leaves to a cup of boiling water and steep for 5-10 minutes.
Hot Buchu Tea
boil water
place 1-2 teaspoons in a cup
pour the water over buchu tea, and infuse for 5-10 minutes
strain and enjoy the tea
Cold Brew Buchu Tea
add 36 oz of freshly boiled water to 2 tbs of loose leaf buchu tea
infuse for around 5-30 minutes, depending on flavour preference.
chill in the fridge for 60 minutes or serve over ice.
Buchu Tea Health Benefits
Buchu tea is a detoxifying tea that helps to cleanse and purify the body. It is rich in antioxidants and minerals and has many purported health benefits, including:
weight loss
cancer prevention
improving digestive health
reducing high blood pressure
improving kidney health (e.g., detoxification)
combating urinary tract infections (e.g., bladder infection)
protecting against pathogens
acting as an anti-inflammatory agent
pain relief (e.g., from inflammation and arthritis)
improving blood circulation
Weight Loss
Buchu tea is a great way to help you lose weight naturally and safely. The tea works by boosting your metabolism and increasing your energy levels, which allows you to burn more calories and shed unwanted pounds.
Research shows that aqueous buchu extract (i.e., buchu tea) results in less weight and fat gain (Brendler & Abdel-Tawab, 2022), and acts as a diuretic (Simpson, 1998). Such findings indicate that buchu tea could help you reach and maintain body weight goals.
Buchu contains ursolic acid, which is thought to promote weight loss by increasing metabolism and reducing body fat. Animal studies have found that ursolic acid increases muscle and reduces fat in mice. One study showed that ursolic acid supplementation led to significant weight loss in obese rats. However, human studies are needed to confirm these effects.
The FDA has approved buchu as a natural weight management supplement, indicating buchu tea is likely safe for human consumption.
Cancer Prevention
The antioxidants in buchu tea help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, leading to cancer.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that the body produces due to environmental and other pressures. Free radicals can cause cell damage that may lead to cancer.
Antioxidants neutralise free radicals, helping to protect cells by preventing or slowing the damage free radicals can cause. There are many different antioxidants, and buchu is rich in some powerful antioxidants that can help protect your cells from damage. For example, buchu is rich in powerful polyphenolics.
Polyphenolics are a promising area of research with potential implications for disease prevention and treatment. Polyphenolics are a family of compounds responsible for pigmentation in fruits and vegetables, including buchu leaves. Polyphenolics have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies link polyphenolics to various health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, and cognitive decline.
Experts believe polyphenolics promote health by scavenging harmful free radicals, regulating cell signalling pathways, and modulating gene expression. They may also improve gut health by promoting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.
Improving Digestive Health
Buchu tea has a long history of being used as a digestive and stomach tonic. Buchu tea can improve digestive health, help relieve constipation and indigestion, and promote healthy digestion overall.
The leaves of the buchu plant contain a compound called mucilage, which plants often use to help protect against insects or other animals. Mucilage is also used by humans for various purposes, including as a laxative. The mucilage in buchu tea can help soothe the digestive tract and reduce symptoms of indigestion.
The buchu leaf's antispasmodic properties help relieve nausea, indigestion, and flatulence.
Reducing High Blood Pressure
If you are looking for a natural way to lower your blood pressure, look no further than buchu tea.
Consuming buchu has been shown to normalise elevated blood pressure (Brendler & Abdel-Tawab, 2022). Research findings suggest that buchu tea may help control blood pressure and exert cardioprotective benefits.
Buchu tea contains compounds that help relax the blood vessels and arteries, lowering blood pressure. In some instances, buchu tea can be a safe and effective way to lower blood pressure without prescription medications.
Improving Kidney Health
One of the lesser-known potential benefits of buchu tea is its ability to improve kidney health.
Buchu tea helps flush toxins and waste products from the kidneys, helping to keep them healthy and functioning properly. It also helps protect the kidneys from damage caused by toxins and other harmful substances.
Buchu helps increase the flow of water through the kidneys, helping to detox it. Buchu tea’s anti-inflammatory effects may improve the flow of water, and its antiseptic qualities may help reduce the incidence of kidney and bladder infections.
Detoxification
Buchu can help with detoxification by stimulating liver enzymes and increasing kidney function.
Buchu stimulates liver enzymes and increases kidney function, both of which are beneficial during the detoxification process.
Buchu is a diuretic. Diuretics work by increasing the amount of urine that your body produces, which helps flush out excess fluid and salt. Buchu is purported to act as a detoxifying agent, releasing toxins accumulated from water retention.
Buchu also helps dissolve and flush out uric acid crystals from the body, making it effective in conditions such as gout, which is caused by a build-up of uric acid in the body. It is vital to keep the body hydrated by drinking lots of water if you use buchu to naturally treat gout.
Combating Urinary Tract Infections
Buchu offers relief from urinary tract infections (UTIs); its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties make buchu very useful for such conditions.
Buchu tea has antiseptic properties that help fight off the bacteria that cause UTIs. Diosphenol is one of the main compounds in the buchu leaf; it's believed to be responsible for the plant's diuretic and antiseptic qualities. Diosphenol can effectively combat urinary tract inflammation and relieve cystitis, urethritis, and irritation of the bladder.
Buchu can be useful for combating other urinary problems, such as haematuria, calculi, and infections of the bladder, prostate, and urethra. Buchu also helps to soothe the inflammation and irritation caused by these infections.
Fighting Bladder Infections
Buchu tea is an excellent choice for those suffering from bladder infections; its antiseptic properties help fight the bacteria that cause such infections.
Treating urinary tract infections is one of the longstanding traditional uses of buchu (Brendler & Abdel-Tawab, 2022), suggesting that regular consumption of buchu tea may be beneficial.
Protecting Against Pathogens
Buchu protects against pathogens, the microorganisms that cause disease. Studies have shown that buchu extracts are active against pathogens (Moolla & Viljoen, 2008), suggesting that buchu tea could be beneficial against some bacteria and viruses.
The body's response to pathogens is complex and involves many different systems. Yet, such scientific findings suggest that there may be benefits to consuming buchu tea as a general wellness tonic, fighting pathogens, and improving and maintaining your body's natural immunity.
Acting As An Anti-Inflammatory Agent
Buchu is a natural anti-inflammatory agent.
The ursolic acid in buchu leaves can help to reduce inflammation throughout the body. Animal studies have found that ursolic acid suppresses the inflammatory response and can help reduce chronic inflammation.
Offering Pain Relief
Buchu tea can benefit people who suffer from conditions like arthritis or chronic pain. The anti-inflammatory properties of buchu tea can help reduce swelling and pain associated with these conditions.
One study found that buchu extract (e.g., buchu tea) may benefit pain management. These properties are increased when silver nanoparticles are present in the buchu extract (Chiguvare et al., 2016), demonstrating different ways of incorporating buchu into one's wellness rituals.
Arthritis
Buchu has long been used as a traditional remedy for arthritis and other joint problems. Recent research has shown that it does indeed have some beneficial effects on arthritis symptoms. Buchu seems to work by reducing inflammation and pain, and by stimulating the immune system. For best results, it is recommended to take buchu in supplement form (e.g., ground buchu).
Chronic Pain
Buchu tea is beneficial for those suffering from chronic pain. Buchu tea contains compounds that help reduce inflammation and related pain. The compounds may help reduce or relieve pain without using prescription medications.
Improving Blood Circulation
Buchu leaves are rich in rutin, a bioflavonoid found in many fruits and vegetables.
Rutin has a variety of potential health benefits, including improving circulation. Rutin has long been used to improve circulation and can help improve the strength and flexibility of blood vessels. Strengthened blood vessels can improve overall health while helping combat conditions such as varicose veins, spider veins, and bruising.
Rutin is also thought to help prevent age-related macular degeneration.
Buchu Tea Side Effects
Like many herbal supplements, buchu may pose some risks to human health in certain situations. ‘Therefore, it is important to consult with a healthcare provider before drinking buchu tea.
Buchu contains pulegone, a monoterpene ketone, which can be toxic to the liver. Plants containing pulegone (e.g., buchu, mint) are often used in traditional medicine and insect repellent.
In addition, buchu tea can interact with certain medications, such as blood thinners and anticoagulants.
While buchu tea has many health benefits, it is important to understand potential side effects. Buchu is not safe to consume while pregnant as it has documented uterine stimulant effects, and can increase menstrual flow.
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Brendler, T., & Abdel-Tawab, M. (2022, 2 7). Buchu (Agathosma betulina and A. crenulata): Rightfully Forgotten or Underutilised? Front Pharmacol, 7(13). PubMed. 10.3389/fphar.2022.813142.
BUCHU: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved May 15, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-180/buchu
Chiguvare, H., Oyedeji, O. O., Matewu, R., Aremu, O., Oyemitan, I. A., Oyedeji, A. O., Nkeh-Chungag, B. N., Songca, S. P., Mohan, S., & Oluwafemi, O. S. (2016, June 14). Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Buchu Plant Extracts and Their Analgesic Properties. Molecules, 21(6), 774. PubMed. 10.3390/molecules21060774.
Moolla, A., & Viljoen, A.M. (2008). ‘Buchu’ – Agathosma betulina and Agathosma crenulata (Rutaceae): A review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 119(3), 413-419. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874108003966?via%3Dihub
Simpson, D. (1998). Buchu — South Africa's Amazing Herbal Remedy. Scottish Medical Journal, 43(6), 189-191. SagePub. https://doi.org/10.1177/003693309804300610