Honeybush
Encyclopedia
Honeybush or 'Heuningbos' in Afrikaans
, is commonly used to make an infusion in the same manner as tea
. It grows only in small areas in the southwest and southeast of South Africa
and has many similarities with rooibos
.
Honeybush is so named because the flowers smell of honey. The taste of honeybush tea is similar to that of rooibos but a little sweeter. Both are much more fragrant than any tea
prepared from Camellia species, or indeed than most so-called "herbal teas". In some rural districts it used to be common practice to keep a kettle of honeybush tea infusing on the stove ready for drinking while scenting the whole house — unlike domestic tea prepared from Camellia sinensis, the product does not rapidly spoil as it simmers.
There are 23 or 24 species of honeybush tea found in the wild, of which mainly 4 or 5 are in widespread home or commercial use. These are:
Some species can be cultivated whereas others have resisted all attempts at cultivation and must be harvested in the wild. It is not always easy to discover what the seeds need to enable them to germinate; some kinds bear elaiosome
s and might be dependent on the services of particular ants or birds. Cyclopia intermedia (mountain tea) is one of the teas that is harvested in the Kouga
mountains where it grows naturally. Mountain tea regenerates within three years after harvesting or devastation by fire; consequently less than one third of the mountain yield is available for harvesting each year by rotation.
Mountain tea and valley tea flower in September/October whereas coastal tea flowers in May/June.
There are two methods of processing honeybush for use in tea. In the traditional method, the leaves of the bush are harvested, cut and bruised (often with mechanical rollers), and then left in the sun to oxidise
. The modern, industralised process oxidises the leaves in rotating, heated tanks at temperatures of 70 to 90 degrees Celsius, for two to three days. The leaves are then air dried.
Afterwards, the leaves are sifted and graded according to the application:
(0.45%). Some of the active compounds present in honeybush include:
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
, is commonly used to make an infusion in the same manner as tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
. It grows only in small areas in the southwest and southeast of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and has many similarities with rooibos
Rooibos
Rooibos is a broom-like member of the legume family of plants growing in South Africa's fynbos.The generic name comes from the plant Calicotome villosa, aspalathos in Greek. This plant has very similar growth and flowers to the redbush...
.
Honeybush is so named because the flowers smell of honey. The taste of honeybush tea is similar to that of rooibos but a little sweeter. Both are much more fragrant than any tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
prepared from Camellia species, or indeed than most so-called "herbal teas". In some rural districts it used to be common practice to keep a kettle of honeybush tea infusing on the stove ready for drinking while scenting the whole house — unlike domestic tea prepared from Camellia sinensis, the product does not rapidly spoil as it simmers.
There are 23 or 24 species of honeybush tea found in the wild, of which mainly 4 or 5 are in widespread home or commercial use. These are:
- Cyclopia intermedia, known as 'bergtee' (mountain tea), found between Port Elizabeth and the edge of the Langkloof
- Cyclopia subternata, known as 'vleitee' (marshland tea) or 'valleitee' (valley tea)
- Cyclopia genistoides, known as 'kustee' (coastal tea), found mostly in the Western Cape near Yserfontein and Darling and also thriving in the South Cape if cultivated
- Cyclopia sessiliflora, known as 'Heidelberg-tee', named after the town HeidelbergHeidelberg, Western CapeHeidelberg is a town in Western Cape, South Africa. It is located near South Africa's south coast, on the N2 highway, 274 km east of Cape Town...
in South Africa, where it grows in the local mountain range - Cyclopia maculata, grown in the OuteniquaOuteniqua MountainsThe Outeniqua Mountains are a mountain range located in the Western Cape of South Africa. They run in a north-easterly direction from the George area.-Nomenclature:...
area near George
Some species can be cultivated whereas others have resisted all attempts at cultivation and must be harvested in the wild. It is not always easy to discover what the seeds need to enable them to germinate; some kinds bear elaiosome
Elaiosome
Elaiosomes are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species. The elaiosome is rich in lipids and proteins, and may be variously shaped. Many plants have elaiosomes to attract ants, which take the seed to their nest and feed the elaiosome to their larvae...
s and might be dependent on the services of particular ants or birds. Cyclopia intermedia (mountain tea) is one of the teas that is harvested in the Kouga
Kouga Local Municipality
The Kouga Local Municipality is located in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, approximately 20 km west of Port Elizabeth, and forms part of the Cacadu District Municipality...
mountains where it grows naturally. Mountain tea regenerates within three years after harvesting or devastation by fire; consequently less than one third of the mountain yield is available for harvesting each year by rotation.
Mountain tea and valley tea flower in September/October whereas coastal tea flowers in May/June.
There are two methods of processing honeybush for use in tea. In the traditional method, the leaves of the bush are harvested, cut and bruised (often with mechanical rollers), and then left in the sun to oxidise
Redox
Redox reactions describe all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation state changed....
. The modern, industralised process oxidises the leaves in rotating, heated tanks at temperatures of 70 to 90 degrees Celsius, for two to three days. The leaves are then air dried.
Afterwards, the leaves are sifted and graded according to the application:
- Super Fine (mostly used for string & tag tea bags)
- Regular Fine (mostly used for swimming tea bags or loose tea application)
- Coarse (mostly used for loose tea application)
Chemistry
Honeybush is low in tanninTannin
A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...
(0.45%). Some of the active compounds present in honeybush include:
- IsoflavoneIsoflavoneIsoflavones comprise a class of organic compounds, often naturally occurring, related to the isoflavonoids. Many act as phytoestrogens in mammals...
s - Flavones
- Cinnamic acidCinnamic acidCinnamic acid is a white crystalline organic acid, which is slightly soluble in water.It is obtained from oil of cinnamon, or from balsams such as storax. It is also found in shea butter and is the best indication of its environmental history and post-extraction conditions...
s - CoumestanCoumestanCoumestan is an organic compound that is a derivative of coumarin. Coumestan forms the central core of a variety of natural compounds known collectively as coumestans. Coumestans, including coumestrol, a phytoestrogen, are found in a variety of plants...
s - XanthonoidXanthonoidA xanthonoid is a chemical natural phenolic compound formed from the xanthone backbone. Many members of the Clusiaceae contain xanthonoids.Xanthonoid biosynthesis in cell cultures of Hypericum androsaemum involves the presence of a benzophenone synthase condensing a molecule of benzoyl-CoA with...
s - MangiferinMangiferinMangiferin is a xanthonoid, a chemical compound found in mangoes and in Anemarrhena asphodeloides rhizomes.This molecule is a natural phenol and shows antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. It shows inhibitory effects on type II 5α-reductase in vitro It shows gastroprotective and antidiabetic...
and isomangiferin (Cyclopia subternata)
External links
- Honeybush by Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, Oregon
- Honeybush by Liesl van der Walt, South African National Biodiversity Institute. Relates mostly to coastal honeybush Cyclopia genistoides.
Publications
- A. Kokotkiewicz, M. Luczkiewicz, "Honeybush (Cyclopia sp.): A rich source of compounds with high antimutagenic properties," Fitoterapia, 80,1 (2009), 3-11.