Buchu Tea

100% ACO Certified Organic Ingredients:

Buchu, Marshmallow Root, Juniper Berries, Couch Grass, Yarrow Flowers

Naturally caffeine free.

You can read more about the properties of each ingredient by clicking on it, or in our Materia Medica library.

SERVES

Our Buchu Tea Box and Jar serve around 40 cups. The compostable Refill Pouch serves up to 80 cups.

PROFILE

blackcurrant aroma + fresh pine juniper

PROVENANCE

Proudly Australian made and owned. All blends are naturopathically hand-blended and packaged by the Organic Merchant team in Sydney, Australia. Made using the highest quality local and internationally sustainably-sourced certified organic ingredients.

ALLERGENS + DIETARY INFORMATION

Our products are dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, non-GMO, vegan, certified organic and plant-based. They contain no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, or sweeteners.

This product has been manufactured, packaged and stored in a facility that is free from nuts, dairy, soy, sesame seeds, sulphites and eggs.

We invite you to discover the beauty and rhythm of ritual, as a way to connect with ourselves, each other and the natural world. These simple steps offer the basis from which you can create your own daily rituals.

• Place 1-2 teaspoons of loose leaf tea per cup (250ml) in an infuser or teapot and pour over boiling water (100°C).
• Pour over freshly boiled water (100°C).
• Infuse for 5+ minutes depending on your desired strength. Ready to serve.

Consume 1-2 litres per day to provide relief from the discomfort of frequent, inflamed urination.

Alternative for the summer: How to brew an Iced Tea version

1. Place 4-8 teaspoons of loose leaf tea per 1 L into a jug or teapot and fill with boiling water (100°C).
2. Infuse for 5-30 minutes, or overnight, depending on your desired strength.
3. If you want to enjoy it immediately, we recommend serving in a tall glass over ice.

Can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Read our article to learn all about How to make loose leaf tea.

After finishing your brew, we encourage you to return your steeped herbs back to the earth, for example in your home compost, worm farm or garden waste, allowing it to breakdown into organic matter and return to nourish our environment.

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Read more in our guide: How to store loose leaf tea.

The benefits of buchu tea are traditionally associated with urinary and digestive wellbeing, with buchu valued in herbal medicine for its diuretic and aromatic qualities. Combined with soothing marshmallow root, juniper berries, couch grass and yarrow, this naturopathically formulated blend is designed to support the bladder and urinary tract while providing a gentle, comforting herbal infusion. Buchu has a particularly long history of use for the urinary system, which is one reason it remains such a valued herbal tea today.

Buchu leaf was traditionally consumed by chewing the leaves or combining them with other ingredients. The Khoisan people of South Africa’s Western Cape have used buchu for generations, and early Dutch settlers adopted the plant into their own herbal practices. Today, buchu is commonly enjoyed as a distinctive herbal tea, particularly in South Africa.

Settlers prepared buchu as infusions and steeped the leaves in brandy or vinegar, and the plant soon became well known in British and European medicine as a diuretic and for bladder and kidney complaints. It was included in the Dublin Pharmacopoeia in 1826 for urinary ailments, and by 1865 a buchu extract was the best-selling patent medicine in the United States. In a curious piece of history, eight bales of buchu were also among the cargo lost when the Titanic sank in 1912.

Read our extensive article about UTIs: Holistic UTI Guide

Our naturopathically formulated blend brings together herbs valued for their:

• Diuretic action
• Soothing and demulcent qualities
• Aromatic and digestive properties
• Urinary support
• Antioxidant activity

Together, these herbs have long been used to support urinary and digestive wellbeing. Each herb also contributes something unique to the character of the blend, from buchu’s fruity aroma to marshmallow root’s soft, soothing quality and juniper’s fresh, piney notes.

Buchu

Buchu (Agathosma betulina) is a small aromatic shrub that grows only in the mountains of South Africa’s Western Cape, from the Cederberg to the Groot Winterhoek. Its fragrant leaves have a spicy aroma reminiscent of blackcurrant, with hints of rosemary and peppermint. Its traditional uses include urinary and kidney complaints, digestive ailments, colds, rheumatism, gout and fever, as well as use as an antiseptic wash for wounds.

The leaves contain diosphenol, a compound produced by no other plant genus and the source of buchu’s signature scent, alongside the flavonoids hesperidin, rutin and diosmin. Laboratory research has measured anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity in buchu extracts, and in research at Stellenbosch University, buchu water brought elevated blood pressure back to normal levels and reduced fat gain in rats on a high-fat diet. While clinical research in people remains limited, buchu’s long history in herbal medicine continues to make it one of South Africa’s best-known medicinal plants.

Marshmallow Root

Marshmallow root is rich in mucilage, giving it a naturally soft and soothing quality. The European Medicines Agency recognises its traditional use as a demulcent for an irritated mouth and throat with dry cough, and for mild gastrointestinal discomfort. In laboratory studies, its water extracts stimulated the activity of human epithelial cells, the cells that line and protect our tissues. Its gentle, moistening character provides a natural counterpoint to the more aromatic and pungent character of buchu.

Juniper Berries

Juniper berries have a long history in herbal medicine, particularly for supporting urinary function and digestion. The European Medicines Agency recognises their traditional use for increasing urine flow in minor urinary complaints, as well as for digestive discomfort such as indigestion and flatulence. In this blend, juniper also contributes its clean, fresh and unmistakably piney aroma.

Couch Grass

Couch grass rhizome has long been part of urinary herbal preparations and is traditionally used to increase urine flow and support the flushing of the urinary tract. A herbal tea prepared from the rhizome contains a range of phenolic compounds and the flavonoid hesperidin. In a 2026 laboratory study, traditional urological herb combinations containing couch grass reduced the ability of E. coli to adhere to bladder cells and strengthened the cells’ own defences. These findings are interesting, but laboratory research should not be confused with clinical evidence in people.

Yarrow

Yarrow is a bitter, aromatic and astringent herb used to support digestion. The European Medicines Agency recognises its traditional use for temporary loss of appetite and mild, cramping digestive complaints including bloating and flatulence. Its gentle bitter action adds balance to the formulation and complements the more strongly aromatic buchu and juniper.

Why certified organic buchu matters

Authenticity matters with buchu. Because several closely related species and other plant materials have historically been sold as buchu, quality and botanical identification are particularly important. When researchers analysed 43 samples, 11 did not match genuine buchu, while other commercial products showed adulteration with materials including senna, grass and other extraneous matter.

Our buchu tea is certified organic and fully traceable from crop to cup. We take care to source genuine, high-quality ingredients so you can enjoy the distinctive character of this remarkable South African herb with confidence.

Please be mindful

Herbal infusions are considered food grade therapeutics and are generally safe to consume. Even though our blends are made using organic ingredients and formulated by our founder and naturopath, the information provided is not intended to diagnose in any way. We recommend consulting your Primary Healthcare Professional such as your GP, Naturopath or Herbalist, if you are unsure, have any underlying health conditions or are on pharmaceutical medication, as they can advise on what’s right for you.

Buchu Tea has won the following awards and accolades:

• 2022 Golden Leaf Awards – Functional/Wellness Blend (Unflavoured) – Gold Medal

As Australia’s most awarded wellness brand, we welcome you to explore all our accolades.

Our purpose is to sustain nature to experience wellness, which we live by each day through our Sustainability Model.

Certified Organic practices are foundational to our operations. As an Australian Certified Organic (ACO) company, we maintain 100% traceability. Detailed batch tracking maintains full transparency from crop to cup to ensure authenticity and trust. This guarantees our products are 100% chemical free, additive free, environmentally friendly, and non-GMO.

Sustainability and environmental stewardship are at the centre of all we do, and drives our commitment to offering reusable, recyclable and compostable packaging options. This commitment also extends to include our shipping materials.