Medicinal plants and traditional practices in peri-urban domestic gardens of the Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Despite the increasing acceptance of traditional medicines in peri-urban areas in South Africa, this rich indigenous knowledge is not adequately documented. Therefore, an ethnobotanical study was undertaken to document medicinal plants grown and maintained in per-urban domestic gardens in the Capricorn District, Limpopo Province. Semi-structured interviews, observation and guided walks with 62 participants were employed to obtain ethnobotanical data on medicinal plants grown and maintained in peri-urban domestic gardens. Data collected included the names of plant species growing and maintained in domestic gardens as medicines, plant parts used, methods of herbal preparation and administration. A total of 37 species belonging to 34 genera and 27 families were recorded. Carica papaya, Catharanthus roseus, Cotyledon orbiculata, Crassula capitella, Erythrina lysistemon, Pelargonium peltatum, Pelargonium zonale, Sansevieria hyacinthoides, Schinus terebinthifolius and Sclerocarya birrea had the highest values of Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and widely grown and managed by the inhabitants of the Limpopo Province. Cold, cough, sore throat, gastro-intestinal disorders, fever, headache, injuries, circulatory system problems and sexually transmitted infections were treated with at least five species each. This study established that traditional medicines still play an important role in meeting basic health care needs of the local communities in the Limpopo Province.