Abstract
Plants used for medicinal purposes are very common feature in Bapedi traditional healer's home-gardens, but information about their diversity and application is not available. To investigate medicinal plants found in Bapedi healer's home-gardens, 51 traditional health practitioners were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire in 17 municipalities of the Limpopo Province of South Africa, during the first half of 2013. A total of 43 plant species (67.4% indigenous and 32.5% exotics) from 32 families, mostly from the Asteraceae and Apocynaceae (9.3% each) were documented. Species cultivated in home-gardens were used to treat three major groups of ailments that include sexually transmitted infections (44.1%), chronic diseases of life style (44.1%) and reproductive ailments (32.5%). The exotics Catharanthus roseus (54.9%) and Carica papaya (15.6%) was the most cultivated. Threatened (11.6%) and protected (6.9%) species are also present in home-gardens, mostly due to their unavailability in natural areas. This study concludes that the practice of cultivating medicinal plant species in home-gardens is a positive development that in the long term will sustain both species and accompanying indigenous knowledge, as well as preserve the cultural identity of the Bapedi.
Highlights
Africans have used traditional medicines for many centuries
A total of 43 plant species from 32 families were documented as being used by the Bapedi traditional healers to treat 12 human ailments (Table 2)
The vast majority (68%) of Bapedi healers prefers to grow indigenous species above exotic plant species (32.5%)
Summary
Africans have used traditional medicines for many centuries. it has become an integral part of their culture (Van Wyk et al, 1997). In response to the combined impacts of declining supplies of plant material due to overexploitation, increasing demands caused by an escalating population growth and global trade markets (Amponsah et al, 2002), traditional healers are opting to increasingly cultivate plants of medicinal value in their home-gardens to sustain their practices (Wiersum et al, 2006). These plants are initially harvested from the wild and transplanted in traditional healer’s home-gardens (Akan et al, 2008). Conclusion: This study concludes that the practice of cultivating medicinal plant species in home-gardens is a positive development that in the long term will sustain both species and accompanying indigenous knowledge, as well as preserve the cultural identity of the Bapedi
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