Ethnobotanical survey of plants used for the treatment of tubertulosis by traditional health healers in the Free State Province, South Africa

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious disease caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis basillus, and ranks as the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease worldwide [1]. The emergence of multi-drug resistant strains has made previously effective and affordable remedies less effective and new remedies are urgently sought. South Africa has one of the highest tuberculosis rates in the world, and the rate of TB infections has increased dramatically with the increase in HIV infection rates in the country [2]. TB treatment outcomes are worse among HIV-positive TB patients compared with HIV-negative TB patients [1].The Free State province in South Africa has the second smallest population, but it has the fourth highest incidence of tuberculosis in the country. In this study 37 traditional health practitioners (THPs) from three districts of the Free State, namely Mangaung metro (10), Thabo Mofutsanyana (15) and Lejweleputswa (12), were interviewed in order to: (1) document species used in the management of TB, (2) determine how traditional healers conceptualize and diagnose TB, (3) obtain the method of preparation and administration of the plant remedies and (4) to collect plant specimens for identification and classification. We documented 21 plant species used to manage TB. The traditional medicines were mostly prepared as mixtures of decoctions and infusions, and most remedies were administered orally. Roots and tuber were frequently used.

Tab. 1: Most frequently used plant species in TB treatment.

Scientific name	Family	Parts used 1	Prep 2	Indication	Nr. of THP	Nr. Districts
Artemisia afra	Asteraceae	L	I,V	cough, blocked nose	10	3
Leonotis lanceolata	Fabaceae	R,L	D	cough	8	2
Helichrysum caespititium	Asteraceae	T,L	I	pain	7	2
Pelargonium sidioides	Geraniaceae	R	D	cough, chest wounds,	6	3
Melolobium obcordatum	Fabaceae	B,R	M	cough, sores, tiredness	5	2
NC = No collection number, 1B = bark, L = leaves, R = roots, T = tuber, 2D = decoction, I = infusion, M = macerated, V = vaporisation

Keywords: tuberculosis, infectious disease, multi-drug resistance, traditional health practitioners, plant remedies

References:

[1] World Health Organization, 2013. Global tuberculosis report 2013, ISBN 978 92 4 156465 6, 1 and 45.

[2] http://www.google.co.za/url? sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CEoQFjAE&url=http%3A% 2F%2Fwww.sahivsoc.org%2Fupload%2Fdocuments%2FNational_Strategic_Plan_2012.pdf&ei=IbOBU4G4I6zH7AaasYGYDw&usg=AFQjCNGUv9WIo88DC5kPx7xtJgc15V_9EA&sig2=oGMNEA0svrgFkNTou1FFDw