Wild Dagga (Leonotis leonurus): Plant, Parts, and Preparation

Wild dagga, botanically Leonotis leonurus, is a shrub from southern Africa with bright orange tubular flowers. It is also called lion's tail, which describes the flower clusters well. Despite the name, it is unrelated to cannabis; dagga is a southern African term that was applied broadly to smokable plants.

The Plant

Leonotis leonurus is in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It grows as a woody shrub up to a couple of meters, flowering in whorls along upright stems. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental outside its native range, which means a fair amount of the material in trade comes from garden cultivation rather than wild harvest.

Flower Versus Leaf

This is the distinction that matters when buying. The flowers are the more sought-after part and command a higher price. The leaf is more abundant and cheaper. Many listings sell a mix without saying so.

Dried flower should be recognizably orange and hold its tubular shape. A bag that is mostly loose orange dust and broken calyx has been handled roughly or is old. Leaf material is green to grey-green and should not be brittle to the point of crumbling at a touch.

Related Species

Leonotis nepetifolia is a related species sold under overlapping common names. It is a different plant with a different growth habit and is not a substitute for Leonotis leonurus, though the two get conflated in listings. Ask for the full species name.

Preparation

Traditional use includes infusion of the leaf and flower, and smoking of the dried material. As an infusion it is usually steeped like any leaf tea, covered, with water just off the boil.

The flavor is grassy and mildly bitter. It is often blended rather than taken alone, commonly with mint or with other Lamiaceae herbs that sit well alongside it.

Storage

Keep it dry, sealed and out of light. Flower material is more fragile than leaf and worth storing in a rigid container rather than a bag, since the tubular flowers break down into dust under pressure.

What to Ask Before Buying

Confirm the species. Ask whether you are buying flower, leaf, or a blend, and in what proportion. Ask whether the material is cultivated or wild harvested, and from where.

Entheogenic Emporium lists wild dagga by plant part so flower and leaf are priced and described separately rather than sold as one generic product.