Abstract
Worldwide, tuberculosis (TB) is a major human killer claiming about 1.5 million lives per annum. Medicinal plants are believed to serve as a source for products that can serve as anti-TB agents. Despite the importance of plants for human health and subsistence in both developed and developing countries, loss of biodiversity-based cultural knowledge and traditions is a commonly reported phenomenon, therefore, documenting such knowledge before it disappears completely is a necessity. The study was carried out to document medicinal plants that are traditionally used for the treatment of TB in the eastern region of O.R. Tambo district, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Information about plants (names, parts and methods of preparation) that are used for treating TB was gathered from traditional medical practitioners (TMP) using questionnaires. Twenty-four plant species belonging to 19 families that are used for the treatment of TB were revealed by this study. The Apiaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae, Compositae, and Leguminosae were the most prominent, represented by two species each. Out of the 24 plants reported, Protorhus longifolia (Bernh.) Engl (Anacardiaceae), Phymaspermum acerosum Källersjö (Compositae) and Strychnos henningsii Gilg (Loganiaceae) were the most frequently mentioned species, and were reported for the first time for TB treatment. Most of the plants (91%) documented are administered orally; the root (54%) is the most common plant part used, while decoctions and infusions are the main preparatory methods. Indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants used in the treatment of TB exists in the eastern region of O.R. Tambo district, and TMP still play an important role in delivering primary health care services. The ethnobotanical information about the plant species mentioned in this study may serve as baseline data for future studies on their pharmacological effects and to identify those that have potential in the development of anti-TB drugs.
Highlights
Increasing numbers of immunocompromised individuals and microbial evolution are some of the factors that have contributed to the emergence as well as the reemergence of infectious diseases worldwide (De Luca and Giraldi, 2011)
Traditional herbalists have long played an important role in the provision of primary health care by prescribing plant-based treatment, and each culture in South Africa has traditional medical remedies for the cure of various diseases including TB (Van Wyk et al, 2009)
The medicinal plant remedies that are used for treating TB patients. The results of this investigation highlighted herbal medicines used in the treatment of TB by traditional medical practitioners (TMP) of the eastern region of O.R
Summary
Increasing numbers of immunocompromised individuals and microbial evolution are some of the factors that have contributed to the emergence as well as the reemergence of infectious diseases worldwide (De Luca and Giraldi, 2011) Many infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) have reemerged as a serious world health problem in recent years. Several reviews of traditional plant use are available from Southern Africa, further work needs to be done regarding the documentation of ethnobotanical knowledge that exists. There is, a lot of undocumented ethnobotanical information that still needs to be collected from the local people in South Africa Such data needs urgent documentation as much traditional knowledge concerning plants and their uses is diminishing due to socio-economic and land use changes. This research was conducted under the auspices of Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha
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