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Digestive Health Skin & Beauty Garden & Backyard

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African Bitter Daisy

Arctotis arctotoides

Also known as Gousblom, Wild African Daisy, Bitterbos

At a glance

Family

Asteraceae (daisy family)

Type

Sprawling perennial groundcover

Parts used

Leaves

Size

Low and spreading, usually 8 to 16 inches tall and considerably wider

Bloom

White to cream daisy flowers with dark, near-black centers, appearing from late winter through summer

Habitat

Coastal dunes, rocky slopes, and fynbos scrub of South Africa's Cape region

Acquisition

Grow or buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Traditional bitter digestive tonic

Traditionally soothing for minor skin irritation

Hardy, drought-tolerant groundcover

Silvery, wind-resistant foliage

Traditional uses

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Along South Africa's Cape coastline, this low, silver-leaved daisy has long been gathered by traditional herbalists as a bitter tonic, its leaves steeped to ease a heavy, sluggish stomach after a rich meal. Fresh leaves were also crushed and pressed against minor cuts, sores, and insect bites to calm irritated skin. It grew wherever little else would, carpeting dunes and rocky outcrops battered by salt wind, and that same toughness made it a dependable plant for households who kept it close at hand rather than a rare or ceremonial one. Its story is a quiet, practical one, the kind of everyday remedy passed between neighbors rather than written into formal record.

Growing guide

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Sun

Full sun. It flowers most freely and stays compact when it gets at least six hours of direct light.

Soil

Well-drained, sandy or rocky soil. It thrives in lean ground and resents heavy, waterlogged clay.

Water

Drought tolerant once established. Water lightly to get young plants going, then let the soil dry out between waterings.

Planting

Propagate from softwood cuttings or seed in spring. Space plants generously, as the trailing stems spread quickly and will happily fill a bed or spill over a wall.

Fresh to dried

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Harvest

Pick leaves in the morning once the dew has dried, choosing younger, silvery-green growth before the plant is in heavy bloom.

Drying

Spread the leaves in a single layer on a screen or tray in a shaded, airy spot, turning occasionally until fully crisp.

Storage

Store dried leaves in an airtight glass jar, away from light and heat, where they will keep their character for about a year.

Best forms

Dried leaf for tea and tonics, fresh leaf for a simple skin poultice.

Traditional preparations

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Featured preparation

Bitter Digestive Tea

Traditionally sipped after a heavy meal to help settle a sluggish stomach, in the way many bitter herb teas have been used across folk traditions.

How it's made. Traditionally, a tea is made by steeping 1 teaspoon of the dried leaves in 250 ml of just-boiled water for 8 to 10 minutes, then strained and sipped slowly.

Secondary preparation

Fresh Leaf Poultice

Fresh leaves have traditionally been bruised and pressed against minor cuts, scrapes, or insect bites to soothe the skin.

How it's made. Traditionally, a small handful of fresh leaves is crushed lightly to release their juice and held against the affected area with a clean cloth for a few minutes.

Pairs well with

✦Rooibos
✦Buchu
✦Wild Mint

Substitutes

✦Wormwood
✦Dandelion leaf

Choose it when

“For a hardy, silver-leaved bloom that has weathered Cape sea winds, and settled Cape stomachs, in equal measure.”

Did you know?

Its Afrikaans name, gousblom, simply means goose flower, a name shared across many of South Africa's wild daisies, but this particular species is one of the most widespread, still carpeting the same windswept dunes and rocky Cape slopes it has grown on for generations.

Safety

Limited safety data exists, so use only in modest, occasional amounts. As a daisy-family plant it may cause allergic reactions in those sensitive to ragweed or related plants, and it's best avoided in pregnancy.