Botanical atlas

Oval Buchu

Agathosma crenulata

Long before it reached European apothecaries, oval buchu was a cornerstone herb of the Khoikhoi people of the Cape, who chewed and steeped its pungent, blackcurrant-scented leaves as a tonic for the stomach and urinary tract. Dutch settlers in the seventeenth century quickly adopted the plant, infusing it in brandy to create boegoe brandy, a household remedy kept in nearly every Cape farmhouse. By the 1800s, buchu had been shipped to London and beyond as one of the first South African botanicals to enter Western herbal trade, prized for its sharp, warming aroma as much as its traditional reputation as a gentle digestive and urinary tonic.

Safety.

Oval buchu's concentrated essential oil contains pulegone, a compound that can be toxic to the liver and kidneys in quantity and is chemically similar to the pennyroyal oil implicated in poisonings, so the essential oil should never be taken internally. The dried leaf tea itself is generally considered mild, but because of its traditional diuretic reputation, it should be avoided during pregnancy and used cautiously by anyone with kidney disease or already taking diuretic medications, as effects may compound. As with any herb taken internally, talk with a qualified healthcare provider before use, especially if pregnant, nursing, or managing a chronic condition.