Buchu oil is used as a flavour fixative, to enhance berry flavours particular blackcurrant and peach flavours and in tobacco flavouring. Then of course it is used by the fragrance industry too. The black currant or 'Bourgeons de Cassis' note of buchu leaf oil is valued in certain types of Chypre bases and Colognes. Only very small amounts are employed because of the intensity of the oil.
The History of Buchu's Use
Buchu botanical drawing in the public domain.
As a medicinal herb
Buchu has an ancient history as a natural herbal remedy in the San-Khoi healing culture. Traditional ceremonial and cosmetic uses of buchu as a body perfume in the form of dried crushed leaves mixed with animal fats have been documented.
The modern history of buchu dates from the 17th and 18th centuries when the Khoikhoi introduced buchu to the Dutch settlers in the Cape as a herbal remedy. Buchu’s purported medicinal uses caused its spread to Europe. The first record of buchu export is by Reece & co who shipped dried leaves to England in 1821. By the late 19th century large volumes of dried buchu plant material were exported to England and the USA; for example in 1873, imports were 153 tons by England and 27 tons by the USA. Initially buchu was mainly used in the form of infusions or tinctures and found widespread use as a natural health tonic for rheumatism, cholera, bladder diseases, stomach complaints, dropsy, dyspepsia, cystitis and gout. Bales of buchu leaves were even listed on the cargo manifest of the Titanic on its doomed maiden voyage across the Atlantic in April 1912.
It is interesting to note that to this day buchu remains a well-known herbal medicine in South Africa and to some extent in Europe. However, medicinal use today is very small compared to what is consumed by the international flavour and fragrance industry.
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Buchu has an ancient history as a natural herbal remedy in the San-Khoi healing culture. Traditional ceremonial and cosmetic uses of buchu as a body perfume in the form of dried crushed leaves mixed with animal fats have been documented.
The modern history of buchu dates from the 17th and 18th centuries when the Khoikhoi introduced buchu to the Dutch settlers in the Cape as a herbal remedy. Buchu’s purported medicinal uses caused its spread to Europe. The first record of buchu export is by Reece & co who shipped dried leaves to England in 1821. By the late 19th century large volumes of dried buchu plant material were exported to England and the USA; for example in 1873, imports were 153 tons by England and 27 tons by the USA. Initially buchu was mainly used in the form of infusions or tinctures and found widespread use as a natural health tonic for rheumatism, cholera, bladder diseases, stomach complaints, dropsy, dyspepsia, cystitis and gout. Bales of buchu leaves were even listed on the cargo manifest of the Titanic on its doomed maiden voyage across the Atlantic in April 1912.
It is interesting to note that to this day buchu remains a well-known herbal medicine in South Africa and to some extent in Europe. However, medicinal use today is very small compared to what is consumed by the international flavour and fragrance industry.
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As an essential oil
Around 1900, buchu was found to produce an essential oil upon steam distillation. With the aroma of buchu in a use–able form as the essential oil, the interesting flavour and fragrance properties of buchu, found widespread application in formulations in post-WWII Europe, most notably for its cassis characteristic at certain concentrations.
With the advent of modern analytical methods (GC and GC-MS), in the late 1960s, the main flavour contributing components in buchu oils could be identified successfully. Almost simultaneously in 1971, Lamparsky et al (Givaudan) and Sundt et al (Firmenich) independently described the cis/trans-8-mercapto-p-menthan-3-one isomers in buchu oil as the source of its cassis flavour.
The chemical nature of these compounds, relatively simple sulphur-containing monoterpenes, facilitated their synthesis from readily available raw materials.
In 1971, Firmenich registered a patent describing the synthesis of nature identical cis/trans-8-mercapto-p-menthan-3-one.
Suddenly buchu oil was no longer required to impart a good cassis aroma, with the result that usage drastically decreased and the buchu oil market crashed. This period in buchu’s history saw widespread neglect and removal of the few established buchu plantations that existed to supply the market.
However, renewed emphasis on natural flavours and fragrance raw materials in the EU during the 1990s created a new demand for buchu oils, the only known natural source of cis/trans-8-mercapto-p-menthan-3-one and cis/trans-8-acetylthio-p-menthan-3-one.
Around 1900, buchu was found to produce an essential oil upon steam distillation. With the aroma of buchu in a use–able form as the essential oil, the interesting flavour and fragrance properties of buchu, found widespread application in formulations in post-WWII Europe, most notably for its cassis characteristic at certain concentrations.
With the advent of modern analytical methods (GC and GC-MS), in the late 1960s, the main flavour contributing components in buchu oils could be identified successfully. Almost simultaneously in 1971, Lamparsky et al (Givaudan) and Sundt et al (Firmenich) independently described the cis/trans-8-mercapto-p-menthan-3-one isomers in buchu oil as the source of its cassis flavour.
The chemical nature of these compounds, relatively simple sulphur-containing monoterpenes, facilitated their synthesis from readily available raw materials.
In 1971, Firmenich registered a patent describing the synthesis of nature identical cis/trans-8-mercapto-p-menthan-3-one.
Suddenly buchu oil was no longer required to impart a good cassis aroma, with the result that usage drastically decreased and the buchu oil market crashed. This period in buchu’s history saw widespread neglect and removal of the few established buchu plantations that existed to supply the market.
However, renewed emphasis on natural flavours and fragrance raw materials in the EU during the 1990s created a new demand for buchu oils, the only known natural source of cis/trans-8-mercapto-p-menthan-3-one and cis/trans-8-acetylthio-p-menthan-3-one.
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Botanical classification
Family: Rutaceae Genius & Specie: Agathosma - 150 species in genius Agathosma mostly found in the Western Cape 2 commercial species • Agathosma betulina • Agathosma crenulata Agathosma from Greek – Agathos meaning pleasant and osme meaning smell. Agathosma betulina has a natural distribution limited to the mountains of the Cederberg, Olifantsrivier and Piketberg. Two chemotypes have been recognised within the species: • Diosphenol chemotype (high in diosphenols, low in isomenthones), found further north in the mountain surrounding Citrusdal and on the Cederberg mountains. • Isomenthone chemotype (high in isomenthones, low in diosphenols) found more southerly only in the Piketberg Mountains. Agathosma crenulata has a natural distribution limited to the southerly mountain ranges of the Cape. It has similar characteristics to Agathosma betulina but contains a much higher pulegone content. |
Agathosma betulina x crenulata (hybrid buchu) Due to many taxonomic similarities between betulina and crenulata and poor access to GC analyses some confusion about the identity of plant and seed material occurred in the past. This led to the cultivation of both species in close proximity to each other, which led to the hybrid species. The degree of hybridization and also the composition of the oil various. It is interesting to note that some naturally occurring hybrids are found in regions in which both betulina and crenulata are found in nature (Porterville and Tulbagh). The volatile oils accumulates and is contained in large circular cells under the surface of the leaf. Betulina yields are higher than crenulata. The important components of buchu oil are: • Limonene – • Menthone - • Isomenthone • Isopulegone • Pulegone • Diosphenol • c- Mercaptone • t-Mercaptone |
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Piquet Buchu, P O Box 265, PIKETBERG, 7320 South Africa, Tel: +27 (0)229145805, Mobile: +27 (0)835029574
Email: michele@mvfarm.co.za
Email: michele@mvfarm.co.za
