Quantification of Vhavenda medicinal plant use

The medicinal plant species traditionally used by Vhavenda people of the Limpopo Province of South Africa have been comprehensively documented [1,2] but the relative importance of the species and the full diversity of their uses have remained poorly recorded. A rapid ethnobotanical appraisal was conducted to enrich the research findings that were already in the public domain. This was followed by formal interviews conducted in five villages, using a flip file photo album showing images of 288 species of medicinally useful plants from 92 families and 212 genera. Interview results were analyzed and quantified using the Matrix Method developed by De Beer and Van Wyk [3]. The Species Popularity Index of each plant, as well as the Ethnobotanical Knowledge Index of each research participant (interviewee), was determined. Plants with the highest Species Popularity Indices were Bidens pilosa L. (0.85), Solanum panduriforme Dunal (0.79), Carica papaya L. (0.77), Solanum aculeastrum Dunal (0.76), Combretum molle Engl. & Diels (0.73), Momordica foetida Schumach. (0.72) and Aloe chabaudii Schönland (0.75). The Ethnobotanical Knowledge Index was highest in senior citizens above 65 years of age (0.39), followed by adults between the age of 35 and 65 years (0.32) and lastly the youth below 35 years of age (0.20). The highest diversity of plants was used to treat venereal diseases (62 species), respiratory ailments (61 species), stomach disorders (58 species), wounds (50 species), headache (47 species), infertility (41 species) and toothache (40 species). Some enigmatic Venda medicinal plants such as Mutavhatsindi (Brackenridgea zanguebarica Oliv.) [4] and Muangaila (Millettia stuhlmannii Taub.) are facing local extinction in the Limpopo Province because the traditional system of myths and taboos that are no longer effective as conservation measures [5] to ensure sustainable use.

Acknowledgements: University of Johannesburg and University of Venda are acknowledged for financial support.

Keywords: Research participants, Matrix Method, Species Popularity Index, Ethnobotanical Knowledge Index, Venda medicinal plants.

References:

[1] Mabogo, DEN. Ethnobotany of the Vhavenda, Unpublished MSc dissertation, Department of Botany, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 1990.

[2] Van Wyk B-E, Gericke N. People's plants: A guide to useful plants of South Africa. Pretoria: Briza Publications, 2000.

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[5] Mutshinyalo TT, Siebert SJ. Myth as a biodiversity conservation strategy for the Vhavenda, South Africa. Indiliga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems 2010; 9: 151 – 171