Hopbush

Dodonaea viscosa angustifolia

Also known as Narrow-leaf Hopbush, Sand Olive, Sticky Hopbush, Native Hop

At a glance

Family

Sapindaceae (soapberry family)

Type

Evergreen shrub or small tree

Parts used

Leaves, and occasionally bark

Size

6 to 15 feet tall, often kept smaller as a hedge

Bloom

Small greenish yellow flowers in spring, followed by papery rose pink seed capsules

Habitat

Dry rocky slopes, coastal scrub, and bushveld across Africa, Australia, and the Americas

Acquisition

Grow or buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Traditional wound care

Hardy drought-tolerant hedge

Traditional toothache relief

Windbreak and privacy screen

Traditional uses

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Across southern and eastern Africa, healers have long turned to the narrow, resinous leaves of hopbush for everyday complaints, chewing them for toothache and sore throat, or steeping them into a warming infusion for colds and fever. In Australia, where the plant also grows wild, Aboriginal communities chewed the leaves to numb pain and applied the sap to burns. Long before it was studied by scientists, this scrappy, sticky-leaved shrub earned its keep as a household remedy simply because it grew everywhere and always seemed to help.

How to grow & use it

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The full apothecary for Hopbush

Traditional remedies and step-by-step preparations, a complete growing guide, and how to harvest, dry, and store it, all unlocked with HerbLens Unlimited.

✦Remedies & preparations
✦ Growing guide
✦Harvest & storage

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Pairs well with

✦Honey
✦Ginger
✦Lemon

Substitutes

✦Sage
✦Plantain leaf

Choose it when

“For the dry, sun-scorched corner of the garden that needs a hardy hedge, and for the old-fashioned remedy tucked into a grandmother's memory.”

Did you know?

Early settlers in Australia found the papery, rose colored seed capsules bitter enough to substitute for real hops when brewing beer, which is exactly how this humble shrub earned the name hopbush.

Safety

Hopbush leaves contain saponins that can cause stomach upset in excess, and it should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.