Buchu (Agathosma betulina)
Agathosma betulina
Western Herbalism
Western Herbalism

Buchu

Agathosma betulina

Also known as Folia Bucco, Round Buchu, Short Buchu, Bucco, (1) Short Buchu, (2) Long Buchu.

CoolingDryingmildly astringenthot and dryrestoring and stablizes movementIt enters the Kidney RestoresSpleen yang xuTaste: PungentTaste: AromaticTaste: Bitter

Traditional Khoisan remedy obsolete post-antibiotics due to lack of clinical evidence Kommission E does not recommend therapeutic use (effectiveness not documented) acceptable as tea flavor prefer A. betulina over A. crenulata (lower pulegone

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Actions

DiureticAntisepticAnti-inflammatoryAnalgesicStimulant tonicDiaphoreticUrinary antisepticAccording to Cook: DiureticAntimicrobial/Urinary AntisepticDiaphoretic According to King’s: aromatic stimulanttonic

Indications what the tradition reached for it in

Safety

Pregnancy: Use with care in pregnancy

Breastfeeding: Use with care while breastfeeding

The record lists 5 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.

Dosing as the sources wrote it

PreparationAs writtenMetric
Fluid extractFluid extract (dose 0.5-1 drachm1944-3888 mg
Dried leaf 1-2 g by infusion three times daily1000-2000 mg
(G6, G7) Liquid extract 0.3-1.2 mL (1 : 1 in 90% alcohol)0.3-1.2 mL
(G6, G7) Tincture 2-4 mL (1 : 5 in 60% alcohol)2-4 mL
Dose, ten to twenty grains of the powder, three times a day648-1296 mg
Dose, one to two fluid ounces, every six or four hours29.57-59.15 mL

Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.

From the sources

Clinical Notes. Traditional Khoisan remedy obsolete post-antibiotics due to lack of clinical evidence Kommission E does not recommend therapeutic use (effectiveness not documented) acceptable as tea flavor prefer A. betulina over A. crenulata (lower pulegone

Therapy. Buchu is an aromatic stimulant, tonic, and urinary antiseptic. As a diuretic its action is not pronounced, but it is frequently used with other agents, as citrate or acetate of potassium, digitalis, or spirit of nitrous ether, which make it more efficient for the purposes of renal depuration.

Therapy. The agent acts directly upon the urinary apparatus , stimulating the kidneys, and increasing both the watery and solid constituents by its tonic and restorative influence. It is also valuable when there is greatly increased action from debility, as it lessens the quantity of water secreted in such cases.

Properties and Uses. A knowledge of the medicinal qualities of these leaves was obtained from the Hottentots. They are a mild and rather diffusive stimulant, exerting also a relaxing nervine action, and leaving behind a gently toned condition.

Drawn from Cook's Physio-Medical Dispensatory; King's American Dispensatory, 18th edition (Felter and Lloyd); Ellingwood's American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy; Felter's Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and the Bountiful Herbs editorial.

In formulas

Buchu stands in 4 documented formulas in the library, among them Urinary Tract Infection Formula.

Often paired with

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