Buchu
Parts Usually Used
Leaves
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
A small shrub, 2-3 feet high, its opposite, glossy, pale-green leaves are obovate or ovate in outline and have strongly curved tips and serrate margins. The five-petaled flowers are whitish to pink; the fruit is an ovate capsule. Two other forms and sources of buchu from South Africa; short buchu (Barosma crenulata) and long buchu (Barosma serratifolia). Same properties as B. betulina.
Where Found
Grows principally in South Africa.
Medicinal Properties
Aromatic, antiseptic, febrifuge, tonic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulant
Biochemical Information
Barosma, camphor, diasmin, I-enthone, hesperidin, mucilage, volatile and essential oils, and resin
Legends, Myths and Stories
Buchu is a plant native to South Africa. The strong, fragrant leaves are used as perfume, almost 400 years ago, by the Hottentots to rub upon their greasy bodies. They also prepare a Buchu brandy by distilling the leaves with wine, and which they employ in all affections of the stomach, bowels, and bladder. A strong decoction of the leaves is used as a wash for wounds. The leaves contain diosphenol, a substance with mild antiseptic properties.
Used by the Hottentots long before any white men came to South Africa.
Uses
Historically, herbalists employed buchu for inflammation affecting the mucous membranes, sinuses, colon, gums, and prostate, as well as for fever. Traditional accounts also noted its use as a general blood tonic and for managing dropsy, fluid retention, gas, bloating, and various digestive, respiratory, bladder, and kidney complaints. In traditional applications, a tea prepared from the dried leaves was administered for painful urination, leukorrhea, and bladder gravel or catarrh, while warm preparations were believed to encourage perspiration and address irritation of the urethra and swelling of the prostate.
Externally, decoctions were applied as a wash for wounds and sores. In South African folk tradition, practitioners prepared an infusion of the leaves in brandy, which was taken as a stimulant tonic and stomachic.
Warning
Do not use Buchu for kidney infections or kidney problems, since Buchu can be irritating to the kidneys. Kidney infections need prompt medical attention. If there is pain during urination, or blood in the urine, call the doctor immediately.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , West Nyack, NY, 1987. , Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr.
David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F. D. and Phyllis A. , Garden City Park, NY