Recipe
Honeybush with orange peel
- Herb:
- Honeybush Cyclopia intermedia
- Method:
- Herbal infusion (tea)
- Plant part:
- Leaf
About 10 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Put 2 heaped teaspoons of honeybush and a strip of dried or fresh orange peel into a pot.
- Pour on 500 ml of boiling water and steep 7–10 minutes; the tea deepens to amber.
- Strain and add a little honey if you like — the infusion is sweet by itself and usually needs nothing.
- Serve hot, or let it cool and drink over ice with a slice of orange.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 1 vrchovatá lžička (asi 3 g) na 250 ml
- Solvent:
- vroucí voda, 5–10 minut; delší louhování nehořkne
- Shelf life:
- vypít do 24 hodin
- Target compounds:
- mangiferin, hesperidin a další xanthony a flavanony; bez kofeinu, málo taninů
Notes
A caffeine-free drink, fine in the evening and for children. The catalogue lists no health effect for it — there are no clinical trials with honeybush.
Why it works
The sweet honey scent of honeybush comes from volatiles formed as the leaves oxidise in warmth; the main polyphenols mangiferin and hesperidin dissolve well in boiling water. The review by Joubert et al. 2011 summarises antioxidant data from the laboratory and animals and states plainly that controlled human studies have not been done — which is why honeybush is a drink in this catalogue, not a medicinal herb.
Literature
- Joubert E, Joubert ME, Bester C, de Beer D, De Lange JH (2011): Honeybush (Cyclopia spp.): From local cottage industry to global markets — The catalytic and supporting role of research. South African Journal of Botany 77(4):887–907 — Přehled historie, zpracování a složení; klinické studie chybějí.
Related
Honeybush — Herb card
Herbal infusion (tea) — Processing method detail