Threatened medicinal plants of South Africa: Case of the family hyacinthaceae

Abstract

Background: Traditional medicine plays a major role in the primary health care of many people living in rural areas. South Africa is a home to over 30,000 species of higher plants and 3,000 of these species have been found to be used in traditional medicine across the country. South African medicinal plants are decreasing at an alarming rate as a result of over exploitation. Today many medicinal plants face extinction but detailed information is lacking. The purpose of this paper was to review current and proposed cultivation strategies that could be used to improve plant conservation statuses, livelihoods of the people involved in medicinal plant industry and sustainability of this industry. Material and Method: In this review, emphasis was on the members of Hyacinthaceae family and the species Siphonochilus aethiopicus (Schweinf) B.L. Burtt (Zingiberaceae), which are some of the most traded and used in traditional herbal medicine. Detailed literature search was conducted on the current strategies that are being used for the cultivation of medicinal and food crops and a conceptual analysis of how technologies used for the cultivation of non-medicinal crops could be adopted for cultivation of medicinal plants in Africa. Siphonochilus aethiopicus was used as a case study to demonstrate the potential of using alternative cultivation strategy such as hydroponics in the cultivation of medicinal plants. Result and Conclusion:The results showed that hydroponics has the potential to improve plant growth and yield of desired plant parts even in areas where these plants do not normally grow under natural conditions. This was the case with Siphonochilus aethiopicus. There is potential for growth in the medicinal plant industry if optimum cultivation technologies such as hydroponics are implemented despite the perception that Africans have an ingrained traditional preference of wild harvested plants, on the contrary many Africans have no issues with cultivated medicinal plants.

Cultivation of Medicinal Plants by Smallholder Farmers in South Africa: Constraints to Commercialization

“…Medicinal plants also play a central role not only as traditional medicines but as trade commodities, and the livelihood contribution these goods make to a large number of rural communities has been noted (Rankoana, 2016). With increasing population growth, urbanization and strong cultural values regarding traditional medicines, the trade in medicinal plants has surged considerably (DAFF, 2016;Xego et al, 2016). This has resulted in the over-harvesting of certain important species found in the wild, to the point of certain extinction.…”

“…The conservation-through-cultivation approach (Mcgaw et al, 2005) continues to be a predominant framework, guiding recent policies and strategy related to medicinal plants. Recent studies on the cultivation of medicinal plants have also primarily adopted the conservation approach, either to highlight value-chain interactions, sustainability and quality assurance issues ( Tanga et al, 2018;Ndou et al, 2019), identified abiotic conditions or reviewed strategies for cultivation (Xego et al, 2016;Tshabalala et al, 2020), compared benefits from wild and cultivated medicinal plants (Van Wyk et al, 2018), or documented local knowledge and practices among segments of the population (Semenya and Potgeiter, 2014;Maroyi, 2017). Specific studies related to constraints facing smallholder farmers in cultivating medicinal plants are scant.…”

In -vitro cytotoxicity of various Siphonochilus aethiopicus (Schweinf.) B.L. Burtt extracts in combination with selected tableting excipients

“…For years, African ginger has been considered one of the most popular medicinal plants sold at South African traditional, ‘muthi’ markets. However, it has been listed as critically endangered for many years on the South African Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) red‐list …”

“…However, it has been listed as critically endangered for many years on the South African Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) red-list. [13,14] The diverse pharmacological effects of S. aethiopicus extracts have been studied by several authors. Its antiallergic, anti-inflammatory and anti-asthmatic properties are particularly prominent and well-studied.…”

Prospects of N Fertilization in Medicinal Plants Cultivation

“…Nyborg et al [35] reported that economics of nitrogen fertilization of barley and rapeseed is inluenced by nitrate-nitrogen level in the soil and suggested that soil testing to determine N 2 O-N levels is essential for maximum economic returns from N fertilization. Based on the above-mentioned arguments, the use of precision N fertilization approach is encouraged, for example, in hydroponics it is possible to manipulate plants to produce higher yields of bioactive fractions [36].…”