🌿 Traditional plant medicine · Suid-Afrika

Nature's pharmacy,
in your pocket.

Generations of Khoikhoi, Cape Malay and Zulu herbal wisdom — now in one place. Find the right plant for what ails you, in plain language, for free.

42+ SA herbs
3 traditions
Free to use
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42 herbs
documented

Buchu · Bladder & kidney health Kanna · Anxiety & stress relief Rooibos · Sleep & skin support Cancer Bush · Immune & fatigue Devil's Claw · Arthritis & pain Impepho · Sacred Xhosa herb Cape Chamomile · Skin & calm Umhlonyane · Zulu women's herb Buchu · Bladder & kidney health Kanna · Anxiety & stress relief Rooibos · Sleep & skin support Cancer Bush · Immune & fatigue Devil's Claw · Arthritis & pain Impepho · Sacred Xhosa herb Cape Chamomile · Skin & calm Umhlonyane · Zulu women's herb
Find your remedy

What are you looking for?

Search by symptom, herb name, or health category. All information is written in plain language — no medical jargon.

What's troubling you?

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Mental Health
8 herbs
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Sleep
6 herbs
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Skin Care
9 herbs
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Fertility
7 herbs
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Respiratory
8 herbs
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Immunity
7 herbs
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Digestive
8 herbs

Herbs of the Western Cape

See all 42 herbs →
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Khoikhoi / San
Buchu
Boegoe
Sacred to the Khoikhoi people. Used for urinary tract infections, bladder health, and as a powerful antiseptic tonic.
Digestive Immune Skin
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Khoikhoi / San
Kanna
Kougoed · Sceletium
Used by the San for thousands of years after hunts to ease fear and fatigue. One of SA's most powerful mood-lifting plants.
Mental Sleep
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Cape Malay
Turmeric
Borrie · Geelwortel
Central to Cape Malay cooking and healing for centuries. Curcumin is one of the world's most studied natural anti-inflammatories.
Pain Digestive Immune

Three great traditions

Kruiegids honours the indigenous and living traditions of Southern African plant medicine — knowledge passed down across generations.

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Khoikhoi & San
The first peoples of the Western Cape cultivated a deep relationship with the fynbos over tens of thousands of years. Their knowledge of buchu, kanna, kapokbos and dozens of other Cape plants remains unmatched.
14 herbs documented
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Cape Malay
Brought to the Cape through the spice trade and centuries of enslaved peoples from Southeast Asia, Cape Malay herbal tradition fuses local fynbos plants with rempah spices — turmeric, clove, ginger — into a uniquely South African healing system.
12 herbs documented
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Zulu & Nguni
Zulu traditional medicine (muthi) is one of the richest in Africa. Inyangas and izinyanga have refined their understanding of plants like umhlonyane, umthombo wenyoka and fever tea across centuries of practice.
11 herbs documented

How it works

No medical jargon. No confusing Latin names you can't pronounce. Just practical, plain-language guidance — in English and Afrikaans.

1

Describe your problem

Search for a symptom ("can't sleep"), a health area ("skin"), or an herb you've heard of. The app finds what's relevant to you.

2

Read the full herb guide

Every herb comes with its traditional uses, how to prepare it as a tea or poultice, how much to take, and what to watch out for.

3

Use with confidence

Clear safety warnings, drug interaction alerts, and pregnancy notes are included so you and your family stay safe.

Simple, fair pricing

The core herb guide is always free. Premium unlocks tools for people who want to go deeper.

Free
R0
forever free
  • Full herb database (42+ plants)
  • Search by symptom or herb
  • Category browsing
  • Safety warnings & dosage
  • Works on any phone
Start for free

What people are saying

"My ouma always used buchu for everything but I never knew why. Now I understand exactly what it does and how to use it properly."
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Mariana van der Berg
Stellenbosch, Western Cape
"Finally an app that takes our traditional medicine seriously. The Zulu herb entries are well-researched and respectful. Exactly what we needed."
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Sipho Dlamini
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
"I live in a small dorpie, the nearest dokter is 45km away. This app helps me know when I can treat something at home and when I must go."
👩
Fatima Davids
Ceres, Western Cape

Start exploring South Africa's
plant pharmacy today.

Free to use. No registration required to browse. Built for every South African — from the Cederberg to the Cape Flats to the Drakensberg.

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