HONEYBUSH (Cyclopia species) – Heuningbos (Afrikaans)

Honeybush tea has long been used regionally as a medicinal plant or herbal tea. Some of the earliest records indicate that it was used as a tonic and expectorant for chronic catarrh and pulmonary tuberculosis.

Honeybush tea is a traditional substitute for regular tea, but is now enjoyed as a health tea for its delicious taste and aroma. It is used in the same way as regular tea, except that prolonged boiling over low heat enhances the flavor.

For this reason, in old farm kitchens, a special kettle was kept constantly boiling on the coal stove. The caffeine-free brew was convenient to have on hand at any time of day. The kettle was occasionally topped up with water and new tea added to maintain the required strength.

After harvesting, the leaves and stems are cut into small pieces using a modified silage cutter, moistened and then subjected to a high-temperature oxidation process in a stainless steel drum for 70 hours at 70°C.

When the tea master determines that the desired quality and aroma have been achieved, he ends the “oxidation process” and the fermented honeybush tea is spread out in the sun to dry.

This is called “fermentation” or “ripening.” During this process, the tea develops its characteristic and desirable sweet aroma and flavor, as well as its reddish-brown to brown color, depending on the Cyclopia species.

Honeybush remained a small cottage industry until it was “rediscovered” in the mid-1990s. In 1992, a propagation research project was started by Dr. Hannes de Lange of SANBI (South African National Botanical Institute) laid the foundation for a formal agricultural and agro-processing industry. The project, entitled “Cycopia species: initiation of commercial plantings and study of their conservation,” was funded by the ARC (Agricultural Research Council).

The growth of the healthy food market contributed to renewed interest in honeybush and its health-promoting properties. At the same time, additional ARC-funded research projects followed, and the interest and participation of farmers, processors and marketers drove further development of the industry.

In 1998, the first registered organic honeybush tea (wild-harvested) was produced by Scheltema and Quinton Nortjé under the “Melmont” brand.

Continuous research into the many health-promoting properties of honeybush tea contributed to increased awareness and appreciation in international tea markets. This included research into Honeybush's potential to fight cancer and diabetes, the therapeutic potential of its phytoestrogens, and its confirmed status as a caffeine-free tea.

Understanding the complex mix of compounds found in Honeybush and the synergistic health effects of these compounds remains a central focus of product-focused Honeybush research led by Prof. Lizette Joubert.

In 2008, with Prof. Lizette Joubert as co-inventor, an antidiabetic extract from honey bush was patented (patent application PCT/EP2008/052863; WO2008/110552 A2; US2011/0045108 A1; US20120251643 A1; EP2120924 B1).

In 1998, Prof. Lizette Joubert produced the first batches of green honeybush on a trial basis. To process green or “unfermented” honeybush tea, the green plant material is cut and dried without fermentation.

Research on honeybush green tea remains an important part of Prof. Lizette Joubert's work in collaboration with her colleagues at national and international institutions.

This includes producing extracts with high levels of specific bioactive compounds, modifying the aroma profile of green honeybush to enhance sweet, fruity notes and studying health-promoting properties.