Known as a “miracle herb” 
Buchu (Agathosma betulina) is one of the most important herbal medicines emanating from South Africa. Buchu was used by the indigenous Khoisan for centuries who believed it to be an elixir of youth. The Khoi-Khoi and San people considered buchu a cure for all ilnesses and an aid to longevity. They chewed the fresh or dried leaves or made infusions for medicinal purposes. They also lubricated their bodies with buchu mixed with sheep fat. Applied in this way the buchu acted as antibacterial and antifungal remedy as well an insect repellant and a deodorant.
The Khoi pastoralists introduced the first Dutch colonists to buchu, when they arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.
Some years later, in 1821 a London Drug Firm, Reece & Co, registered buchu as a medicine and remedy for several illnesses such as; cystitis urethritis, nephritis and catarrh of the bladder.
Buchu also played an important role in the Crimean and First World Wars. During this time soldiers used it as a powerful antiseptic to clean wounds.
By 1865 buchu leaves were imported into the United States as a panacea for most ailments.
Before modern drugs and antibiotics buchu was introduced to the world as 
a treatment for colds and flu, headaches, stomach disorders, gonorrhea and more life-threatening diseases such as cholera and bilharzias. Buchu has been recorded as a treatment of infections of the genitor-urinary tract by major pharmacopoeia, such as British Pharmacopoeia (1821), The Physiomedical Dispensatory (1869), The American Eclectic Materia Medica and Therapeutics (1898), King’s American Dispensatory (1898) and The British Pharmaceutical Codex (1911).
Buchu is a natural diuretic and has been approved by the American Food and Drug Administration as a natural weight management supplement.
Buchu has a potent anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antibacterial properties, enabling it to act as a natural antibiotic with no side effects. Buchu contains naturally occurring antioxidants and bioflavonoids such as quercetin, rutin, hesperidin, diosimin, diosphenol and Vitamins A, B and E. Buchu is frequently prescribed in chronic inflammation of the bladder, irritation of the urethra, uric acid problems, diabetes in the first stages, urine retention, cystitis, and catarrh of the bladder. It is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Heath Benefits of Buchu
- Bladder infection & weakness
- Urinary tract infection
- Kidney infection
- Prostate infection (Prostatitis)
- Pain control
- Hypertension (High blood pressure) treatment
- Diabetes
- Rheumatism
- Mild diuretic
- Weight management
- Anti-inflammatory
- Natural antibiotic
- Antiseptic