- In 2021, almost 33 of every 1,000 South African children under five years old died.
- South Africa’s under-five mortality rate also lags behind the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of reducing these figures worldwide by 2030 to 25 deaths per 1,000.
- As researchers with an interest in indigenous knowledge, we explored the use of medicinal plants as remedies against diseases among children in the North West province of South Africa.
- Our study yielded the first comprehensive inventory of medicinal plants and indigenous knowledge related to children’s healthcare in the area.
- In total, 61 plants from 34 families were recorded as medicine used for managing seven categories of diseases.
Capturing local wisdom
- South Africa is endowed with a rich wealth of flora and is often acclaimed as a biodiversity hotspot.
- Thousands of plants are used for traditional medicine for the management of diverse health conditions.
- This signifies the importance of women as active custodians of indigenous knowledge related to childhood health needs.
- Carpet plant (Geranium incanum), common yellow commelina (Commelina africana) and elephant’s root (Elephantorrhiza elephantina) were the most popular medicinal plants.
The way forward
There is increasing support from governments for promoting traditional medicine as part of primary healthcare in African countries such as Cameroon and South Africa. We recommend that:
Government provide institutional and financial support to determine the role of herbal medicine in primary healthcare. Working with traditional health practitioners, medicinal plants must be documented and testing laboratories need to be set up to establish their efficacy and to determine appropriate dosages.
Botanical gardens should be created to ensure the sustainability of plants and their continued role in providing much-needed medical care. In the North West province, 40% of the ecosystems are under severe stress, with 11 of the 61 vegetation and 14 of the 18 river types classified as threatened. Medicinal plants are mostly harvested from the wild, so it’s possible that many could face extinction from uncontrolled harvesting.
- He is a member of the South African Association of Botany (SAAB).
- We are grateful to our participants for their willingness to be part of this study.
- Adeyemi Oladapo Aremu receives funding from National Research Foundation, Pretoria, South Africa.
