Bountiful Buchu

Bountiful buchu

by Kerryn Du Preez

Juliette and Edward Godfrey’s farm in Paarl is home to an extended family of workers, children and dogs – an aromatic idyll infused with the scent of mountain buchu.

The dirt road that winds its way to Waterfall Health Farms is flanked by olive trees; beyond, the mass of rolling hills seems endless. The urge to ignore the signpost to Edward and Juliette Godfrey’s farmhouse and continue along this country lane is tempting – but then you would miss out on the mad rush of dogs that bombard you on arrival and the sprawling charm of the 150-year-old farmhouse. But most of all, you would miss out on a fascinating insight into the wonders of the mountain buchu.

Here, in the heat of midday, the camphorous scent of buchu pervades. It is a distinctive, rich, bitter fragrance, hinting at myriad medicinal properties. Buchu is an indigenous herb that was first used by the Khoi-khoi as a panacea, and was considered so valuable that no more than a thimbleful was given in exchange for a lamb. Today it is exported around the world in the form of dry leaves and essential oils for use in the pharmaceutical industry and as a natural flavor enhancer.

Edward is something of a legend and is widely known as the buchu king – his oils are of the highest quality in the country. ‘I started experimenting when I got out of the army. I also read everything I could find on buchu and began developing the extraction process in my kitchen.’ Edward used the Betulina (round leaf) andCrenulata (oval leaf) species, as their volatile oils are of a quality that can be sold commercially.

Perfecting this intricate process was time consuming – it took Edward five years to get his first order – and proved pretty risky to his personal safety. He spent two months in hospital with third-degree burns when a steel pot exploded in his face. ‘The distillation process involves maintaining a delicate balance between a low vacuum and high steam,’ he explains. Far from deterring him, the accident made him more determined than ever, and today he exports essential oils and dry leaf to France, Switzerland, Holland, America, Britain and the Far East.

Harvesting buchu is hugely labour intensive as all the leaves are picked and sorted by hand. Edward has an excellent support system in his team of workers, some of whom have been with him since he first began and share his passion for this herb. Harvesting takes place from November through to May, and it’s not uncommon for Edward and his team to work through the night. ’The quicker the buchu oil is distilled, the better the yield,’ explains Juliette.

Pure mountain spring water used during the distillation process is bottled afterwards as a herbal drink. The result, Spring Distilled Buchu Water (a natural diuretic loaded with essential vitamins and minerals) has recently been released onto the local market. This by-product has been certified as distilled mineral water by the CSIR and has almost indefinite shelf life. Juliette and Edward (who drinks only buchu water) have a healthy glow that is fitting testament to the healing powers of this potion. ‘I would certainly recommend it as a general tonic, says Juliette.

Tests carried out by Japanese company GIJ found that gram for gram buchu has more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more vitamin E than wheat and more vitamin A than tea. With their hilly farmland providing the perfect growing conditions for buchu, Juliette and Edward might well discover the elixir of life among its vast medicinal properties.

House and Leisure Magazine, South Africa, May 1988