Skin diseases are a growing health concern worldwide and make up approximately 34% of occupational health diseases.

 This is mainly because people of all ages will be exposed to infection due to one or another skin disease at least once during their lifetime. Also, almost 90% of people infected with HIV/Aids develop skin diseases at some stage. and

With South Africa currently experiencing a shortage in dermatologists, it is estimated that about 70% of the country’s rural population does not have access to these specialists.

John Awungnjia Asong, an Indigenous Knowledge Systems PhD candidate at the North-West University (NWU), has embarked on a study to explore indigenous practices and medicinal plants used for the treatment of skin diseases in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality.

His study also examines the vitro pharmacological activity, toxicity, and phytochemical profile of the popular medicinal plants found in the area.

John says during this study a total of 80 plants, belonging to 40 families and 61 genera, were documented as being used in the preparation of skin treatments. His study noted 36 different home recipes to treat 43 skin diseases, grouped into seven disease categories.

“Of the 80 plants identified, 38 have never before been documented to treat skin diseases in South Africa,” says John.

“These plants have good antimicrobial agents, contain high levels of antioxidants and phytochemical compounds, some of which are currently used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Only one out of the five plants evaluated for cytotoxicity – Sekaname – was considered toxic as per the criteria set by the National Cancer Institute in the United states of America,” he adds.

According to John, these findings are an indication that the Batswana traditional medicine pharmacopoeia includes a rich plant diversity for the treatment of skin-related diseases.

“Most of the plants have the potential to be used by the pharmaceutical industry. This study has also created a platform for in-depth scientific analysis to evaluate the pharmacological efficacy and safety of the identified medicinal plants.

“Unfortunately, these recipes may be lost since the younger population is not interested in passing on indigenous knowledge,” adds John.

John’s study has been presented at three local conferences. It was presented at the Indigenous Plant Use Forum in 2018 and 2019 in the Western Cape and Limpopo, as well as the South African Association of Botany conference that took place earlier this year in January. Part of the study was also presented at the NWU Optentia conference in November 2018.

Parts of this work has been published in reputable journals such as the South African Journal of Botany, the Journal of Ethnopharmacology and Plants.

 John Awungnjia Asong is exploring indigenous practices and medicinal plants used for the treatment of skin diseases.