What Is Cerasee? The Jamaican Bush Tea Explained
Cerasee is a very bitter bush tea made from the cerasee vine, brewed across Jamaica and West Africa as a traditional tonic.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Cerasee is a wild, very bitter vine tea made from Momordica charantia, the cerasee bush, long brewed across Jamaica and West Africa as a traditional tonic. The leaves and stems are boiled into an amber, intensely bitter drink taken for cleansing and general wellbeing. Dried cerasee is sold by African and Caribbean food shops you can find on African Stores.
What to remember
- Cerasee is a wild bitter vine, Momordica charantia, and a close relative of bitter melon.
- Its leaves and stems are boiled into an amber tea famous for being intensely bitter.
- The same plant is used across West Africa, where it is called asosi or ejinrin.
- It is traditionally taken as a spring tonic, for the skin, for colds and as a "wash out".
- This is traditional folk use and general information, not medical advice, so speak to a doctor or pharmacist before using cerasee medicinally, especially during pregnancy or with diabetes medication.
Few smells fill a Jamaican kitchen with memory like a pot of cerasee on the boil, sharp and green and unmistakable. It is the tea a grandmother pressed on you when you were run down, the bitter cup swallowed fast with a grimace and a chaser of something sweet, the ritual "wash out" that marked a change of season. To brew it far from home is to bring that whole world back, the fence where the vine grew, the voice telling you it is bitter because it is good for you.
That heritage travels. In Britain a bag of dried cerasee on the shelf is a small piece of the island kept alive, passed from an older generation who gathered it wild to a younger one who buys it dried. It is more than a drink; it is a habit of care, a way of looking after your own the way you were looked after. To hand a first cup of cerasee to someone who has never braved the bitterness is to pass along a tradition, wince and all.
What Cerasee Is
Cerasee is a wild climbing vine, Momordica charantia, and a close relative of the bitter melon, the knobbly gourd used across Asian and Caribbean cooking. In Jamaica the whole plant, the trailing stems and the small green leaves, is gathered from fences, waste ground and garden edges, dried and brewed into a bush tea that is one of the best known remedies in the island's home tradition. The little ridged fruit ripens to orange and splits to show bright red seeds, but it is the leafy vine rather than the fruit that goes into the tea.
The same plant travels far beyond Jamaica. Across West Africa it is grown and gathered too, known in Yoruba as ejinrin and more widely as asosi, and it sits within the long custom of bitter leaf brews taken for wellbeing. Cerasee belongs to the wider world of home remedies and kitchen tradition we cover in our guide to Jamaican food, a bridge between the garden and the pot that has crossed the water with the people who grew up on it.
How Cerasee Tea Is Made and Why It Is So Bitter
Making cerasee tea is simple, and the method is much the same wherever it is brewed. A handful of the fresh or dried vine, leaves and stems together, is rinsed and put into a pot of water, then boiled and left to steep until the water turns a deep amber or greenish brown. It is usually strained and taken warm, sometimes with a little honey, lime or a slice of ginger to soften the taste, though many people drink it plain and short.
There is no getting around the bitterness, and it is part of the plant's reputation. Cerasee is famously, mouth puckering bitter, the kind of bitter that makes newcomers wince and that seasoned drinkers take as a sign it is doing its work. The strength is easy to control by using less vine or a shorter steep, and a first cup is best kept weak. This is a description of how the tea is brewed rather than a dosage, and how much anyone takes is a personal matter best raised with a professional.
How Cerasee Is Traditionally Used
In Jamaican home tradition cerasee is the classic bitter tonic. It is taken as a spring or seasonal "wash out", a cleansing course drunk for a few mornings to freshen the system, and it is reached for at the first sign of a cold, for upset stomachs, and as a general pick me up. It is also a well known skin remedy in folk use, drunk or dabbed on for rashes and blemishes, which is part of why it keeps its place in the family cupboard. In West Africa the same asosi vine carries its own long list of traditional uses.
All of this is tradition and general information, popular lore rather than proven fact, and none of it is medical advice. Cerasee sits alongside other traditional tonics people turn to, such as sea moss and moringa, and as with those it pays to be sensible. Two cautions matter most. Cerasee is traditionally avoided in pregnancy, so it is best not taken if you are pregnant or trying to conceive. And because it is linked in tradition with lowering blood sugar, it could interact with diabetes medication, so anyone on such medicine should be especially careful. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist before using cerasee medicinally.
Where to Buy Cerasee in the UK
Buying cerasee in Britain is straightforward. African and Caribbean food shops sell it dried and bagged, usually as loose bundles of the dried vine or as ready cerasee tea bags, often shelved with the other bush teas and home remedies. It keeps well dried, so a bag lasts a long time, and the shop staff can usually point you to it under the name cerasee, or sometimes asosi. You can find African and Caribbean food stores near you to track down dried cerasee or tea bags in your area. Kept in a dry cupboard, a little goes a long way, and the amber, bracingly bitter cup it brews is a taste that carries a whole tradition of home.
Frequently asked questions
What is cerasee?
Cerasee is a wild bitter vine, Momordica charantia, a close relative of bitter melon, whose leaves and stems are dried and boiled into a bush tea. It is one of the best known home remedies in Jamaica, and the same plant is used across West Africa, where it is called asosi or ejinrin. The tea is famous for being intensely bitter and is taken as a traditional tonic.
What is cerasee tea good for?
In traditional folk use cerasee tea is taken as a cleansing spring tonic or "wash out", for colds and upset stomachs, and as a skin remedy. These are longstanding customs and general information, popular lore rather than proven fact, and this is not medical advice. If you are thinking of using cerasee for a health reason, speak to a doctor or pharmacist first, especially during pregnancy or if you take diabetes medication.
How do you make cerasee tea?
Rinse a handful of fresh or dried cerasee vine, leaves and stems together, and put it into a pot of water. Boil and let it steep until the water turns a deep amber or greenish brown, then strain and drink it warm. Some people add honey, lime or ginger to soften the strong bitter taste. Using less vine or a shorter steep gives a weaker, gentler cup.
Is cerasee safe?
Cerasee is very bitter and is usually taken only in small amounts and for short spells. It is traditionally avoided in pregnancy, so do not take it if you are pregnant or trying to conceive. Because it is linked in tradition with lowering blood sugar, it could interact with diabetes medication, so take care if you are on such medicine. This is general information, not medical advice, so speak to a doctor before using it.
Where can I buy cerasee in the UK?
Cerasee is sold dried and bagged by African and Caribbean food shops, either as loose bundles of the dried vine or as ready cerasee tea bags, usually shelved with the other bush teas. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks dried cerasee or cerasee tea bags.
