The people of Africa are largely dependent on the traditional knowledge on medicinal plants for the health care needs. They are based on the traditional knowledge accumulated over centuries and conveyed from generation to generation. An estimated 10 percent of the plant species in the world are found in southern Africa. The local uses of these plants are increasingly being documented. But only a few have been subjected to scientific investigation, and fewer still are commercialized. But more scientific investigations and publications are emerging. The filing of patents too has been on the increase.
There are herbal or medicinal plant markets in African countries. These markets are the source of these plants for use by the local people. This is mostly a part of the informal economy. However, there is also an expanding formal economy of these products in African countries. This is due to the increasing demand of these herbal remedies by the well off people in Africa and outside. There is also a worldwide increasing demand for these natural remedies. This has come along with the global cultural trend towards organic naturopathies. The traditional knowledge and herbal and medicinal plants are becoming commercialized. Nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical industries locally as well as globally are making use of the reported use of medicinal plants by local communities. The information on the traditional use of medicinal plants is available from the field researches being carried out in African countries on indigenous knowledge, traditional knowledge and folklore medicines.
The traditional plant knowledge of southern African people is a source for the development of products. There is a rise in research activities. The recent trend indicates that there is a rush for documenting such knowledge. These ethno-medicinals are marketed globally. Hoodia gordonii is a tender plant from the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa that has grabbed global attention. This has become popular as an appetite suppressant. It is marketed in many forms such as pills, capsules, and shakes. The pure Hoodia gordonii liquid is said to be more powerful than the pills and capsules.
The increasing global market for these products based on medicinal plants from African countries also improves the prospects of export earnings. This could contribute to rise of income levels of the poor in these countries. But the increased collection of these medicinal plants also could lead to the risk of overexploitation of these plants in their natural habitats. To make it sustainable, scientific extraction methods and conservation management practices are to be adopted.
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