Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.
The remembrance of these astounding folk discoveries... should sober our thoughts when we criticise too freely the old pharmacopoeias. It is easy to make fun of medieval recipes: it is more difficult and may be wiser to investigate them. Instead of assuming that the medieval pharmacist was a benighted foot we might wonder whether there was not sometimes a justification for his strange procedure. -- George Sartori, Harvard Professor and Author
DISCLAIMER: Green Papaya offers Home Remedies with specific annotations to health and well-being. Such remedy advices are offered as emergency first aid and are governed by the Good Samaritan Act. Under the common 'Good Samaritan laws' - "a citizen is obliged to provide first aid when necessary and is immune from prosecution if assistance given in good faith turns out to be harmful". Within our developing "wireless world" there comes a time when the only immediate assistance is that offered through the Internet. Green Papaya therefore feels that obligation and thereby offers this resource of Home Remedies as necessary.
Green Papaya's home remedies are meant for temporary relief and first aid measures; for the average person without any special needs or uncommon or compounding medical conditions. Green Papaya's advice, regardless of the situation, IS NOT a replacement for professional care and consultation. Please consultant with your family doctor or any emergency service immediately.
Diuretics deplete body stores of potassium, an important nutrient. Anyone taking buchu should increase consumption of foods high in potassium, such as bananas and fresh vegetables.
Pregnant women should not take diuretics without a physician’s approval.
The Food and Drug Administration considers buchu safe, and no harmful effects have been reported. For otherwise healthy nonpregnant, nonnursing adults who are not taking other diuretics, buchu is considered safe in amounts typically recommended.
Buchu should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If buchu causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience any unpleasant symptoms or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.
Native Cultivation - African
This 5-foot shrub with finely toothed opposite or alternative leaves is not grown in the United States.
The Buchu King is long forgotten, but herbalists have considered this herb a urinary antiseptic ever since.
Premenstrual Syndrome - Many women complain of “bloating” from water retention before their periods. Buchu is an ingredient in two over-the-counter diuretics (Fluidex and Odrinil) marketed to relieve the bloating of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
High Blood Pressure and Congestive Heart Failure - Physicians prescribe diuretics to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. These are serious conditions requiring professional care. Consult your physician about including buchu as part of your treatment plan.
Urinary Tract Infection - Most modern herbals continue to recommend buchufor urinary tract infections. One study of its effects on the bacteria that cause these infections showed no benefit, but herbal experts continue to stand behind it as an infection fighter.
Rx for Buchu
For relief of bloating due to PMS, try an infusion or tincture. You might also try these preparations for relief of chronic urinary tract infections.
For an infusion, use I to 2 teaspoons of dried, crumbled leaves per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 to 20 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day. Buchu has a minty aroma and a pleasant, minty taste.
In a tincture, take 112 to I teaspoon up to three times a day. Do not give buchu to children under age 2. For older children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.
Genus and Species: Barosma Betufina, B. Crenufata, B. Serratifofia
Also known as: Bookoo, Buku, Bucku, Bucca
Parts used: Leaves
Buchu is Southern Africa’s contribution to herbal healing.
The leaves of this 5-foot shrub contain an oil that increases urine production. The native peoples of what is now Namibia and South Africa used buchu for urinary problems long before they had any contact with Europeans. In the 17th century, when Dutch (Afrikaner) colonists settled the region, they adopted buchu for urinary tract infections, kidney stones, arthritis, cholera, and muscle aches.
Later English settlers also adopted buchu and used the herb to treat so many illnesses that medical botanists now claim it has been used for “almost every disease which afflicts mankind.”
The Buchu King
In 1847, New York patent medicine entrepreneur Henry T. Helmbold introduced Helmbold’s Compound Extract of Buchu for urinary problems, kidney stones, and “diseases arising from imprudence [venereal diseases].” The American public responded as enthusiastically as the African colonists had. Helmbold grew rich and called himself Helmbold, the Buchu King.
Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.
Diuretics deplete body stores of potassium, an important nutrient. Anyone taking buchu should increase consumption of foods high in potassium, such as bananas and fresh vegetables.
The Buchu King is long forgotten, but herbalists have considered this herb a urinary antiseptic ever since.