Difference between revisions of "Honeybush"
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==Special Precautions of Honeybush== | ==Special Precautions of Honeybush== | ||
==Benefits and uses of Honeybush are== | ==Benefits and uses of Honeybush are== | ||
| + | Honeybush tea is made as a simple herbal infusion. | ||
| + | * One of its early recognized benefits as a tea substitute is its lack of caffeine, which makes it especially suited for nighttime consumption and for those who experience nervousness and want to avoid ordinary tea. As a result, it had a reputation as a calming beverage, though it may not have any specific sedative properties. It also has a low content of tannins, so it doesn't make a highly astringent tea, which can be a problem with some grades of black or green tea or when ordinary tea is steeped too long. | ||
| + | * The traditional use of the tea for treating cough may be explained, in part, by its content of pinitol, a modified sugar that is similar to inositol. Pinitol, named for its major source, pine trees, is also found in the leaves of several legume plants; it is an expectorant. | ||
| + | * Pinitol is also of interest for apparent blood-sugar lowering effects, as demonstrated in laboratory animal studies (it may increase the effects of insulin), and is being considered as a drug for diabetes. | ||
| + | * Honeybush also contains flavones, isoflavones, coumestans, luteolin, 4-hydroxycinnamic acid, polyphenols, and xanthones. These ingredients serve as antioxidants and may help lower blood lipids. * The isoflavones and coumestans are classified as phytoestrogens, used in the treatment of menopausal symptoms, an application for which honeybush has recently been promoted. The flavones and isoflavones of honeybush are similar to those in soy, another leguminous plant, also used in treatment of menopausal symptoms. | ||
| + | * Luteolin is the primary yellow pigment of the flowers and has been used historically as a dye (most often obtained for this purpose from the plant called Dyer's Weld, Reseda luteola). | ||
| + | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
[[Category:Treatments]] | [[Category:Treatments]] | ||
[[Category:herbal medicine]] | [[Category:herbal medicine]] | ||
Revision as of 02:10, 4 January 2014
Honeybush (Cyclopia spp.) is indigenous to the cape of South Africa. It is used to make a beverage and a medicinal tea, having a pleasant, mildly sweet taste and aroma, somewhat like honey. It has become internationally known as a substitute for ordinary tea (Camellia sinensis). With the dramatic growth in the use of honeybush during the past five years, export of honeybush tea products is now a major industry, following up on the success of another tea substitute from South Africa : Rooibos. Commercial supplies of honeybush are mainly obtained from Cyclopia intermedia and to a lesser extent from Cyclopia subternata, though there are about 2 dozen species of Cyclopia identified in this narrow region of South Africa. Most of the species have very limited distribution ranges and unique habitat preferences. Some are restricted to mountain peaks, perennial streams, marshy areas, shale bands, or wet southern slopes. Some of the species, such as Cyclopia maculata, Cyclopia genistoides, and Cyclopia sessiliflora, have been used for home consumption. It appears that all the Cyclopia species are suitable for making tea, but the taste quality can vary, and some species exist in very small quantities.
Special Precautions of Honeybush
Benefits and uses of Honeybush are
Honeybush tea is made as a simple herbal infusion.
- One of its early recognized benefits as a tea substitute is its lack of caffeine, which makes it especially suited for nighttime consumption and for those who experience nervousness and want to avoid ordinary tea. As a result, it had a reputation as a calming beverage, though it may not have any specific sedative properties. It also has a low content of tannins, so it doesn't make a highly astringent tea, which can be a problem with some grades of black or green tea or when ordinary tea is steeped too long.
- The traditional use of the tea for treating cough may be explained, in part, by its content of pinitol, a modified sugar that is similar to inositol. Pinitol, named for its major source, pine trees, is also found in the leaves of several legume plants; it is an expectorant.
- Pinitol is also of interest for apparent blood-sugar lowering effects, as demonstrated in laboratory animal studies (it may increase the effects of insulin), and is being considered as a drug for diabetes.
- Honeybush also contains flavones, isoflavones, coumestans, luteolin, 4-hydroxycinnamic acid, polyphenols, and xanthones. These ingredients serve as antioxidants and may help lower blood lipids. * The isoflavones and coumestans are classified as phytoestrogens, used in the treatment of menopausal symptoms, an application for which honeybush has recently been promoted. The flavones and isoflavones of honeybush are similar to those in soy, another leguminous plant, also used in treatment of menopausal symptoms.
- Luteolin is the primary yellow pigment of the flowers and has been used historically as a dye (most often obtained for this purpose from the plant called Dyer's Weld, Reseda luteola).
