Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh.
Buchu leaves and oil of buchu were used by the indigenous people of South Africa for hundreds of years. The medicinal use of buchu was taken up by the early Dutch settlers and later introduced into the pharmaceutical industry in the UK. Buchu preparations are now used as a diuretic and for a wide range of conditions including stomach aches, rheumatism, bladder and kidney infections and coughs and colds.