Medicinal Plants Traded in Informal Herbal Medicine Markets of the Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Trading of herbal medicines generates economic opportunities for vulnerable groups living in periurban, rural, and marginalized areas. This study was aimed at identifying medicinal plant species traded in the Limpopo province in South Africa, including traded plant parts, conservation statutes of the species, and harvesting methods used to collect the species. Semistructured questionnaire supplemented by field observation was used to collect data from owners of 35 informal herbal medicine markets in the Limpopo province. A total of 150 medicinal plant products representing at least 79 plant species belonging to 45 botanical families, mainly the Fabaceae (11.4%), Asteraceae (7.6%), and Hyacinthaceae (6.3%), were traded in the study area. Roots (50.0%), bulbs (19.0%), and bark (16.0%) were the most frequently sold plant parts. Some of the traded species which include Alepidea amatymbica, Bowiea volubilis, Brackenridgea zanguebarica, Clivia caulescens, Dioscorea sylvatica, Elaeodendron transvaalense, Encephalartos woodii, Eucomis pallidiflora subsp. pole-evansii, Merwilla plumbea, Mondia whitei, Prunus africana, Siphonochilus aethiopicus, Synaptolepis oliveriana, and Warburgia salutaris are of conservation concern and listed on the South African Red Data List. Findings of this study call for effective law enforcement to curb illegal removal of wild plants especially those species that are at the verge of extinction.

Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties of Elaeodendron transvaalense.

Elaeodendron transvaalense is a plant species, which is in high demand as a herbal medicine in southern Africa. This study critically reviewed the medicinal applications, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of E. transvaalense. The literature on medicinal applications, phytochemical, and pharmacological activities of E. transvaalense, was collected from multiple internet sources including Elsevier, Google Scholar, SciFinder, Web of Science, Pubmed, BMC, Science Direct, and Scopus. Complementary information was gathered from pre-electronic sources, such as books, book chapters, theses, scientific reports, and journal articles obtained from the University library. This study revealed that the species is used as herbal medicine in 62.5% of the countries where E. transvaalense is native in southern Africa. It is mainly used as herbal medicine for diarrhoea, menorrhagia, stomach aches, skin infections, inflammations, and rashes. Phytochemical compounds identified from the species, include flavonoids, peltogynoid, phenols, proanthocyanidins, tannin, and triterpenes. Ethnopharmacological research revealed that extracts and phytochemical constituents isolated from E. transvaalense have antibacterial, antifungal, anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiplasmodial, anti-protozoan, anti-pyretic, hypoglycaemic, larvicidal, cytotoxicity, and mutagenic activities. Elaeodendron transvalense should to be subjected to detailed phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological evaluations aimed at correlating the medicinal uses of the species with the ethnopharmacological properties of the species.

Therapeutic plants used by traditional health practitioners to treat pneumonia in the Limpopo Province, South Africa / Plantas terapéuticas utilizadas por profesionales de la salud tradicionales para tratar la neumonía en la provincia de Limpopo, Sudáfrica

Ethnobotanical studies focusing on the documentation of folk therapies employed for pneumonia are almost non-existence in Africa and elsewhere. Data on plants used to treat this ailments was obtained through informed consent semi-structured face-to-face interview and field observations with 128 conveniently selected Bapedi traditional healers (THs) residing in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. A total of 57 plant species distributed across 54 genera and 32 botanical families, mostly the Asteraceae (21.8%) and Fabaceae (18.7%) were used by THs to treat pneumonia and related symptoms. Therapeutic uses of larger number of the documented species are not recorded elsewhere in literature as treatments of these ailments. Overall, the most widely used species by all interviewed THs were Acacia erioloba, Clerodendrum ternatum, Cryptocarya transvaalensis, Enicostema axillare, Lasiosiphon caffer and Stylochaeton natalensis. Ethnopharmacological studies validating the reported therapeutic claims of the species by Bapedi THs should be a subject of future investigation.

Los estudios etnobotánicos que se centran en la documentación de las terapias populares empleadas para la neumonía son casi inexistentes en África y en otros lugares. Los datos sobre plantas utilizadas para tratar estas dolencias se obtuvieron a través de entrevistas personales semiestructuradas con consentimiento informado y observaciones de campo a 128 curanderos tradicionales (TH) convenientemente seleccionados que residen en la provincia de Limpopo, Sudáfrica. Las TH utilizaron un total de 57 especies de plantas distribuidas en 54 géneros y 32 familias botánicas, en su mayoría Asteraceae (21.8%) y Fabaceae (18.7%) para tratar la neumonía y los síntomas relacionados. Los usos terapéuticos de un gran número de las especies documentadas no se registran en ninguna otra parte de la literatura como tratamientos para estas dolencias. En general, las especies más utilizadas por todos los TH entrevistados fueron Acacia erioloba, Clerodendrum ternatum, Cryptocarya transvaalensis, Enicostema axillare, Lasiosiphon caffer y Stylochaeton natalensis. Los estudios etnofarmacológicos que validan las afirmaciones terapéuticas informadas de las especies por parte de Bapedi TH deben ser un tema de investigación futura.

Data on medicinal plants used to treat respiratory infections and related symptoms in South Africa.

We provide details of 306 plant species used to treat and manage respiratory infections and related symptoms in South Africa. About a third of the documented species belong to four plant families, namely the Asteraceae (15.7%), Fabaceae (6.1%), Lamiaceae (5.6%) and Amaryllidaceae (4.6%). An overwhelming majority of documented species are used as medicine to treat tuberculosis (40.2%), cough (36.6%), fever (29.1%), chest complaints (28.8%) and cold (23.2%). The potentially bioactive phytochemical compounds and associated pharmacological properties of the documented plant species are also provided. This data demonstrated strong correlation between phytochemistry, pharmacological properties and medicinal uses of more than three quarters (80.1%) of the documented species used against respiratory infections and related symptoms. Data of this nature can be used to identify research gaps on ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of plant species used as herbal medicines.

Plants Used by Bapedi Traditional Healers to Treat Asthma and Related Symptoms in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

To the best of our knowledge there are presently no ethnobotanical surveys focusing on the utilisation of herbal remedies for asthma in South Africa. The present study is therefore an attempt to fill this gap in knowledge. A total of 140 Bapedi traditional healers (THs) practicing in the Capricorn, Sekhukhune, and Waterberg districts of the Limpopo Province (South Africa) were queried using semistructured questionnaires, supplemented by field observations during face-to-face interview. A total of 104 medicinal plant species (92 indigenous and 12 exotics) belonging to 92 genera, distributed across 54 botanical families, mostly the Asteraceae and Fabaceae (18.5%, for each) as well as Malvaceae (12.9%), were used as antiasthmatics and related symptoms by these THs. Most of the plants were trees and herbs (37.5%, for each), with root (57%), leaf (15.8%), and bark (7.5%), respectively, being the saliently used parts for preparation of remedies. Clerodendrum ternatum, Cryptocarya transvaalensis, Lasiosiphon caffer, Enicostema axillare, Mimusops obovata, Sclerocarya birrea, and Stylochaeton natalensis were widely used and valued by all THs across the surveyed districts. Furthermore, these taxa also scored both the highest use value and fidelity level indexes as asthma therapies. Overall, the larger number of species documented in the present study is recorded for the first time in literature as asthma and/or related symptoms remedies. Our study finding generally contributes towards an establishment of South African database of herbal therapies used traditionally against these conditions.

Ethnobotanical study of curative plants used by traditional healers to treat rhinitis in the Limpopo Province, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Studies focusing on plants used medicinally to heal and manage rhinitis are very scarce in Africa and elsewhere. OBJECTIVES: To document plants used by traditional healers (THs) in the treatment and management of rhinitis and related symptoms in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. METHODS: Data was gathered using a semi structured interviews with 105 THs in the Limpopo Province, supplemented by field expeditions for plant specimen collection and observation. RESULTS: 63 plant species from 59 genera distributed across 40 botanical families, mainly the Asteraceae (7 spp.) and Euphorbiaceae (6 spp.) were therapeutically used by THs. Overall, 77 herbal recipes (87%=mono and 12.9%=poly), mainly prepared from roots (55.5%) and leaves (19%) were recorded. Most of these recipes were processed via pounding (59.7%) and boiling (20.7%). Oral (44.1%) and nasal (33.7%) was the preferred modes of dispensing remedies by THs. Artemisia afra, Clerodendrum ternatum, Cryptocarya transvaalensis, Enicostema axillare, Kalanchoe brachyloba, Lasiosiphon caffer, Lippia javanica, Schkuhria pinnata, Securidaca longepedunculata, Spirostachys africana, Stylochaeton natalensis and Zanthoxylum capense were the most widely used and preferred species for treatment of rhinitis and/or related symptom by all questioned THs. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to document plants used traditionally to treat rhinitis in Africa. Therefore, it provides a baseline data on the plants used to heal rhinitis in the Limpopo Province. Finding of this study can be used as apedestal for further investigation in to effective plant-based anti-rhinitis drugs.

Medicinal plants used for the treatment of tuberculosis by Bapedi traditional healers in three districts of the Limpopo Province, South Africa.

The present study was aimed at documenting medicinal plants used for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) by the Bapedi traditional healers in three districts of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Fifty two traditional healers from 17 municipalities covering Capricorn, Sekhukhune and Waterberg districts were interviewed between January and July 2011. Twenty one medicinal plant species belonging to 20 genera and 18 families were documented. The majority (61.9%) are indigenous and the rest are exotics, found near homes as weeds or cultivated in home gardens as ornamentals or food plants. Hyacinthaceae, Moraceae and Rutaceae families were the most represented families in terms of species numbers (9.5% each). Herbs and trees (38% each) constituted the largest proportion of the growth forms of the medicinal plants used. Tuberculosis remedies were mostly prepared from leaves (34%) followed by roots (21%). The therapeutic claims made on medicinal plants used to treat TB by the Bapedi traditional healers are well supported by literature, with 71.4% of the species having antimicrobial properties or have similar ethno medicinal uses in other countries. This study therefore, illustrates the importance of medicinal plants in the treatment and management of TB in the Limpopo Province, South Africa.