Chapter 7 - Cyclopia genistoides

Abstract

Cyclopia genistoides (L.) R.Br (Fabaceae), commonly referred to as ‘honeybush tea’, is one of 23 Cyclopia species endemic to South Africa. The natural habitat of this small fynbos shrub is restricted to very small areas in the Western Cape Province, spanning from the West Coast to Mossel Bay on the Southern Cape coast. Honeybush tea is mostly enjoyed as a hot beverage of the ‘fermented’ product. ‘Fermentation’ refers to the high-temperature oxidation process essential for the development of the sought-after sweet, floral aroma and flavour, and brown colour. Traditional medicinal uses include use as an expectorant in pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic catarrh, and a restorative with astringent properties. ‘Caspa Cyclopia Tea’ was the first branded product to appear on the market in the 1960s. The development of a formal industry in the 1990s gave rise to different branded honeybush products, and the production of extracts. Several studies investigating the anti-oxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating activities have been documented for different Cyclopia species (fermented and unfermented). Quality control protocols based on the chromatographic profiling of methanol extracts were developed using a semi-automated high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) system. The HPTLC profiles of the extracts viewed under 366nm radiation after derivatisation with vanillin-sulphuric acid reagent revealed the presence of mangiferin, isomangiferin and hesperidin in all samples, compounds ubiquitous to all Cyclopia species. Their presence in the methanol extracts was confirmed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS).