The status of bark in South African traditional health care

Abstract

Bark products constitute nearly one third of plant material used in South African traditional medicine. Since the large majority of South Africans make use of traditional health care, bark is fundamental to the traditional pharmacopoeia. In this review we consider the status of bark resources, as reflected by the literature, and highlight the need for multi-disciplinary research to address the lack of available information on plant species used for their bark. The supply of bark to the medicinal plant trade has been rendered non-sustainable, due to increased user populations and reduced indigenous vegetation. Whilst conservation of the South African flora is paramount, natural resources cannot meet the current, nor foreseeable, demand for bark. Alternatives such as tree propagation and cultivation, strategic management and plant part substitution are discussed. Effective implementation of these action plans is reliant on the dissemination of existing and new knowledge. The prevailing scenario of a non-sustainable bark supply has impacted negatively on the quality of bark products available to the consumer, as problems of incorrect identification and purposeful adulteration arise. To facilitate monitoring and standardisation, phytochemical references should be established for bark authentication, and used in conjunction with morphological and anatomical characters for identification in the case of unknown specimens. The importance of bark in South African traditional health care warrants attention from all research sectors to conserve the country’s rich floral heritage, and the integrity of traditional health care.