Botanical atlas

Honeybush

Cyclopia intermedia

Long before it reached supermarket shelves, honeybush was gathered from the wild mountain slopes of the Cape by the Khoikhoi and later by Cape Dutch settlers, who dried and steeped the leafy stems into a naturally sweet, caffeine-free tea. It was traditionally taken to ease coughs and chest colds, offered to nursing mothers as a gentle tonic, and simply enjoyed as an everyday comfort drink in households across the Cape. Unlike its more famous cousin rooibos, honeybush is actually a whole group of related wild shrubs, and Cyclopia intermedia has long been considered one of the best tasting of the bunch, prized for the deep, honey-like sweetness it develops once cured.

Safety.

A common everyday tea with no significant toxicity, though its plant estrogens mean those with hormone-sensitive conditions should be mindful of regular use.