Sip and soothe your way to wellness with honeybush tea
More than just a delicious beverage, honeybush tea is a natural remedy with a long history of traditional use. This Mzansi treasure is packed with antioxidants, supports digestive health, and may even offer anti-ageing benefits
Honeybush isn’t just tea – it’s nature’s way of nurturing you. Known for its natural sweetness and caffeine-free charm, this earthy brew is packed with antioxidants and a story as rich as its flavour.
It’s a cup of comfort that soothes, heals, and uplifts. Whether you’re chasing calm or craving something wholesome, honeybush is the perfect blend of tradition and health in every sip.
Nature’s remedy in a cup
Shihaam Domingo, known as The Food Witch from Retreat, Western Cape, describes honeybush as an essential part of her daily life.
“In winter, I turn to bush tea to support our respiratory systems,” she says.
“When my mother was undergoing cancer treatment, I used honeybush often to improve her gut health and bring her some comfort.”
Shihaam Domingo
She also enjoys adding honeybush to desserts, like poached pears infused with its flavour.
Domingo explains that to make a healthy honeybush tea, you simply steep two teaspoons of loose-leaf honeybush tea in 250ml of boiled water for three to five minutes. Strain before serving. There’s no need for sweeteners, as honeybush tea is naturally sweet.
From just a cup of honeybush tea, you can enjoy a caffeine-free sip while benefiting from its medicinal properties.
Photo: Freepik
For Shirley Gounden, a certified Reiki master and trainer from Midrand, Gauteng, honeybush has been a trusted companion since her breast cancer diagnosis.
“I used it during my treatment to strengthen my immune system and ease my stomach troubles,” she explains. “It helps relieve my stomach pain and constipation, making things much easier for me.”
Gounden also notes that honeybush supported her recovery after her lumpectomy, speeding up the healing process.
Sibongile Jiyane, a plant pathologist based in Tshwane in Gauteng, explains that the honeybush herb is known for its antioxidant qualities, primarily due to its polyphenols and flavonoids.
These antioxidants, she says, help lower the risk of cancer and DNA damage by neutralising harmful free radicals in the body.
Sibongile Jiyane is a plant pathologist based in Tshwane, Gauteng.
Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi
Studies have shown that polyphenols can also help raise HDL (good cholesterol) and improve the health of blood vessels, adds Jiyane.
“There’s research suggesting honeybush might also offer anti-ageing and skin benefits due to its antioxidant content. When used topically, honeybush extracts can improve skin elasticity, reduce UV damage, and help minimise wrinkles,” she says.
Jiyane notes that human trials have produced encouraging results as well.
“Children and people dealing with heart and digestive issues can benefit from honeybush due to its stimulant properties.”
Sibongile Jiyane
She explains that its potent anti-spasmodic effects are also useful for relieving stomach cramps.
“Honeybush has been found to help with a variety of gastrointestinal issues, including constipation and bloating.”
While there are no documented negative effects of consuming honeybush tea, she cautions that it could interfere with medications by affecting the enzymes that break them down.
Best practices and ideal regions
Mongezi Mbangcolo, an agronomist and deputy director in food security with the department of rural development and agrarian reform in the Eastern Cape, says honeybush seeds are grown after the first winter rains, from late April to May.
Sowing can be done by hand or with a modified vegetable planter, and the seeds should be planted about 1cm below the surface rather than scattered on top.
“Honeybush is a legume and thus requires inoculation to promote nitrogen fixation,” says Mbangcolo.
Planting seedlings usually takes place between August and October. He adds that cultivated stands are mostly established using seedlings, which results in diversity in vigour and tea quality.
Provinces known to produce good yields of honeybush include the wetter Eastern Cape mountains, extending down along the Langeberg and Swartberg ranges into the Western Cape, reaching as far as Bredasdorp along the coast.
Mongezi Mbangcolo is an agronomist with rural development and agrarian reform in the Eastern Cape.
Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi
“It is estimated that there are approximately 30 000 hectares of mountainous land, including the Tsitsikamma, Kouga, Baviaans, Langeberg, and Swartberg mountain ranges, where wild honeybush grows sporadically within the greater fynbos biome,” he says.
Growing honeybush responsibly
The cultivated crop is expected to thrive in areas where it naturally occurs, explains Mbangcolo.
He notes that altitude has a significant impact on the different honeybush species, making it an important factor to consider when cultivating the plant.
“Honeybush prefers to be planted in full sun and well-drained sandy to sandy loam-type soils, with a low pH (under five) and low phosphorus, free of nematodes.”
Mongezi Mbangcolo
“It prefers the cooler, wetter, misty conditions on the southern slopes of the mountains,” he adds.
Mbangcolo further explains that wild harvesting requires permits from relevant authorities, such as the Western Cape and Eastern Cape departments of environmental affairs, to control overharvesting and preserve natural honeybush populations within the fynbos biome.
While harvesting may be possible, he adds that strict regulations are enforced to ensure sustainability and protect the environment.
Vateka Halile grew up in rural areas of Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape. She was raised in a traditional family setting and found writing to be a source of comfort and escape. Vateka participated in an online citizen journalism course through Food For Mzansi, and her passion for health and medicine-related stories was born. Her dedication to community work and love for social justice and solidarity spaces is evident in her quality time with the community when she isn't working.
