Agathosma betulina used by people

Agathosma betulina, one of the useful buchu plants of South Africa is cultivated as a commercial crop for medicines, both traditional and modern, as well as for essential oils in the overseas fragrance industry.

Human usage of this plant started early, in the times of the Khoi and San inhabitants of South Africa, now expanded on a larger scale. Chew a few leaves for a generally beneficial effect as a tonic. Or so some believe! A mild laxative effect may be experienced as an added benefit. Other medicinal benefits of A. betulina oil probably include diuretic, antispasmodic, and antiseptic effects.

And beyond cosmetics and medicine, the versatile plant yields input to end products like soaps, sweets or candy, tea, brandy and food colorants. The name boegoebrandewyn (buchu brandy) is still around, maybe the bottles too! The plant extract is said to resemble the taste of blackcurrant.

Harvesting does not destroy the plants or does not need to destroy them, as only leaves and upper branches are used. Legislative protection is these days hopefully safeguarding the natural population of A. betulina plants. The South African buchu industry, already in excess of R150 million per annum, increasingly depends on cultivated plants (Manning, 2007; Van Wyk and Gericke, 2000; iNaturalist; Wikipedia; http://redlist.sanbi.org).