Chinese Teatree

Baeckea frutescens

Also known as Gang Song, Broom Baeckea, Twiggy Baeckea, Chổi xuể (Vietnamese broom plant), Chuchup

At a glance

Family

Myrtaceae (the myrtle family)

Type

Evergreen shrub

Parts used

Leafy twigs and flowering tops

Size

1 to 2 meters tall, sometimes reaching 3 meters, with a wiry, heath-like habit

Bloom

Tiny star-shaped white flowers crowding the branch tips, mainly in late summer and autumn

Habitat

Sandy, acidic, well-drained soils on open hillsides, coastal scrub, and rocky outcrops across southern China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Australia

Acquisition

Buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Traditionally soothes irritated skin

Traditionally aids digestion

Traditionally eases colds

Gentle traditional diuretic

Traditional uses

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Long before it had a place in any Western herbal, this wiry little shrub was known across southern China as Gang Song, gathered from hillsides and brewed into a plain, slightly resinous tea to help the body clear what traditional Chinese medicine calls damp heat, the sluggish, irritated feeling behind skin flare-ups and summer colds. In Vietnam its springy twigs were bundled into brooms, earning it the common name chổi xuể, broom plant, even as the same leaves were steeped for washing troubled skin. Malay traditional healers reached for it too, using the aromatic foliage in preparations for fever and upset stomach. It is a humble, everyday herb, the kind kept in the back of a village apothecary rather than celebrated in poetry, but generations of quiet, practical use gave it a lasting place in folk medicine.

How to grow & use it

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Pairs well with

✦Chrysanthemum flower
✦Honeysuckle (Jin Yin Hua)
✦Plantain leaf

Substitutes

✦Eucalyptus leaf
✦Tea tree (Melaleuca) leaf

Choose it when

“For the plain, resinous cup that village apothecaries have reached for when skin and stomach both need settling.”

Did you know?

In Vietnam, the springy twigs of this shrub were bundled together and used as literal household brooms, which is how it earned its common name chổi xuể, meaning broom plant.

Safety

The essential oil is for external use only and should never be taken internally or applied undiluted; patch test first, since aromatic oils can irritate sensitive skin. Safety in pregnancy, breastfeeding, and childhood hasn't been established.