Knowledge and perception of producers and consumers on the production process, perceived health benefits, and sensory properties of “mendím me zoñ”, a traditional Cameroonian herbal tea

" Mendím me zoñ " is a traditional, under-utilized herbal tea widely consumed by the populations of South-Cameroon region. The objectives of this study were to highlight the production processes, the ingredients used, the motivations of consumers, and conduct sensory analysis on the different types of this herbal tea. A household survey was conducted on the production process and consumption of " mendím me zoñ ". Hundred and fifty households with 150 female producers and 400 consumers were interviewed. Samples of " mendím me zoñ " were also produced according to the processes obtained from the survey results and were submitted to the hedonic sensory evaluation. The total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin content were also evaluated. The results revealed that there are two production processes (P1 and P2) by which women generally produce " mendím me zoñ " herbal tea. The main ingredients used for the preparation of this tea are eggplant: Solanum torvum fruits (73.33%) and Solanum aethiopicum fruits (26.66%). According to the additional ingredients used, three formulations have been identified: F1: Cymbopogon citratus leaves, Capsicum chinense fruits, Plectranthus glandulosus leaves, and powdered Scorodophloeus zenkeri bark (56.15%); F2: Cymbopogon citratus leaves, Capsicum chinense fruits, and Plectranthus glandulosus leaves (33.74%); and F3: Cymbopogon citratus and Capsicum chinense fruits. This herbal tea is consumed based on various perceived health motivations, such as perceived blood pressure comfort (reported by 51.25% of consumers), reported glucose-lowering potential (41.75%), perceived digestive improvement (39%), cough relief (34.50%), weight management support (37.75%), perceived diuretic support (24.25%), and aphrodisiac motivations (12.50%). The production process and the eggplant species significantly affect (p < 0.05) the total phenolic content (1.12 to 3.42 gallic acid equivalent g/100 ml) and sensory characteristics of this herbal tea. In terms of all sensory attributes, consumers prefer the samples from process 1 (P1) and formulation 1 (F1).