African Buchu Plant Shown to be Effective Natural Anti-Inflammatory in Scientific Study

Inflammation, or swelling in a part of the body, occurs because of your body's effort to dilute, neutralize and flush away damaging material, whether it's a splinter or infectious bacteria.

Inflammation can be categorized as either acute or chronic. Acute inflammation lasts for a short time, generally from a few hours to a day at most. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is characterized by prolonged discomfort. It can lead to a loss of mobility and the deformation of joints.

A recent study conducted at Synexa Life Sciences, has shown that the oil of the South African Buchu plant (Agothosma betulina) is a potent inhibitor of the inflammatory effect.

Pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories work in a similar way to Buchu oil. Unlike Buchu oil, however, they generally have a range of nasty side effects. Especially with prolonged use, these can include hematological (blood), gastrointestinal (stomach) and skin-related issues.

Buchu oil is a natural anti-inflammatory and has no known side effects. Although it inhibits inflammation, it doesn't stop the body's repair process altogether.

How Buchu Works
CD11b/CD18 are markers present in immune cells known as neutrophils and monocytes, which are the body's natural response to injury, and which help to repair damaged tissue. These immune cells release oxygen in a process known as the oxidative burst in an effort to destroy harmful bacteria.

Unlike many pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory drugs, Buchu oil has no effect on the expression of CD11b/CD18. This means that immune cells can still travel to the site where they're needed, although swelling itself doesn't occur.

Buchu oil retains its potency as an anti-inflammatory even at high dilution levels. It inhibits the oxidative burst at 67% at a 1:400 dilution. In capsules, one part of Buchu oil is typically diluted in 400 parts salmon oil, which gives us a concentration of 0.25%. Even at higher dilutions, the potency of the oil's inhibitory effect is relatively strong. For example, this has been estimated at 24% for a 1:3200 dilution.

Uses of Buchu Oil
Buchu oil is considered safe for regular and even prolonged use. It can be used to treat a wide range of ailments, including arthritis, rheumatism and other conditions that involve swelling of the joints. It's also used by gout sufferers, and to prevent swelling and bruising caused by soft tissue trauma.

Buchu Herbal Health Products
A range of buchu products is marketed under the BuchuLife brand by Cape Kingdom Nutraceuticals. The product range includes the BuchLife natural anti-inflammtory (read more). Buchu clinical trials and published articles by Synexa Life Sciences and other institutions are also available (link) on the BuchuLife website.