Recipe
Weak buchu tea
- Herb:
- Buchu Agathosma betulina
- Method:
- Herbal infusion (tea)
- Plant part:
- Leaf
About 10 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Drop a teaspoon of dried buchu leaves into a mug and pour on 250 ml of water just off the boil.
- Cover and steep only 5 minutes, then strain.
- Add honey or a drop of lemon to taste; the infusion smells of blackcurrant and mint.
- Drink warm, at most 1–2 cups a day and for no longer than a week at a stretch.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 1 zarovnaná lžička (asi 1,5 g) sušených listů na 250 ml
- Solvent:
- horká voda 90 °C, 5 minut pod pokličkou — krátce, aby nepřešlo příliš silice
- Shelf life:
- vypít teplé
- Target compounds:
- flavonoidy (diosmin, rutin) a část silice s diosfenolem; pulegon je těkavý a přechází omezeně
Notes
A traditional Cape drink smelling of blackcurrant and mint. Keep it short and weak: the oil contains pulegone, which is liver-toxic at high doses; Agathosma betulina has less of it than A. crenulata. Not in pregnancy, when breastfeeding or with kidney or liver disease; at most 1–2 cups a day for a few days.
Why it works
Buchu leaves contain an essential oil with diosphenol, menthone and pulegone, and the flavonoids diosmin and rutin; per the review by Moolla & Viljoen 2008 round-leaf A. betulina has roughly 1–5 % pulegone in its oil while A. crenulata has up to 30–60 %, which is why it is the preferred tea species. Clinical trials of the traditional use for urinary complaints do not exist; a shorter steep keeps the oil content low.
Literature
- Moolla A, Viljoen AM (2008): 'Buchu' – Agathosma betulina and Agathosma crenulata (Rutaceae): A review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 119(3):413–419 — Přehled etnobotaniky, složení silice a rozdílů obou druhů (pulegon).
Related
Buchu — Herb card
Herbal infusion (tea) — Processing method detail