Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Oxford Conference Center, Oxford MS
Event Website
https://oxfordicsb.org/
Start Date
8-4-2025 11:00 AM
Description
Skin infections are primarily fungal and bacterial attacks on the skin. The aim of the study was to investigate medicinal plants used for the treatment of wound infections by the local people and traditional health practitioners. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality, Limpopo Province to identify plant species used to treat skin infections. Guided fieldwork and a semi-structured questionnaire were used to gather information from the traditional healers. A questionnaire was designed to gather information on the common names, plant parts used, preparation, administration, and illnesses treated were recorded for each species. In the current study, leaves, fruits, bark, and flowers are used for the preparation of medicine and decoction was the general method of preparation. Traditional health practitioners and the local people prefer topical application of the medicine as it is applied directly on the site of infection. Antifungal activity of Agapanthus africanus (L.) Hoffmanns, Dicoma capensis Less., Moringa oleifera, Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, Musa acuminate colla, Polystichum acrostichoides (Michx.), Ficus sur Forssk., Anthocleista grandiflora Gilg, F. sansibarica Warb., L. camara L. and Smilax anceps Wild. were determined against Candida albicans, Microsporum gypseum and Trichophyton rubrum. Serial dilution and bioautography assays were used to determine the biological activity of the plant extracts against the tested fungal pathogens. Of the twelve plant species, extracts of A. grandiflora, Smilax anceps, and L. camara were active against M. gypsum and T. rubrum with MIC values ranging between 0.02 and 0.04 mg/ml, respectively. Antifungal compounds were visible in the acetone, methanol, DCM, and ethyl acetate extracts of A. grandiflora and F. sansibarica. The findings revealed that the growth pattern of these dermatophytes exhibited different qualities though they were from the same fungal strain. Microsporum gypseum and
Recommended Citation
Mahlo, Salome, "South African plants with potential applications in traditional medicine for wound healing" (2025). Oxford ICSB. 18.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/icsb/2025_ICSB/Schedule/18
Publication Date
April 2025
Accessibility Status
Screen reader accessible, Searchable text
Included in
South African plants with potential applications in traditional medicine for wound healing
Oxford Conference Center, Oxford MS
Skin infections are primarily fungal and bacterial attacks on the skin. The aim of the study was to investigate medicinal plants used for the treatment of wound infections by the local people and traditional health practitioners. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality, Limpopo Province to identify plant species used to treat skin infections. Guided fieldwork and a semi-structured questionnaire were used to gather information from the traditional healers. A questionnaire was designed to gather information on the common names, plant parts used, preparation, administration, and illnesses treated were recorded for each species. In the current study, leaves, fruits, bark, and flowers are used for the preparation of medicine and decoction was the general method of preparation. Traditional health practitioners and the local people prefer topical application of the medicine as it is applied directly on the site of infection. Antifungal activity of Agapanthus africanus (L.) Hoffmanns, Dicoma capensis Less., Moringa oleifera, Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, Musa acuminate colla, Polystichum acrostichoides (Michx.), Ficus sur Forssk., Anthocleista grandiflora Gilg, F. sansibarica Warb., L. camara L. and Smilax anceps Wild. were determined against Candida albicans, Microsporum gypseum and Trichophyton rubrum. Serial dilution and bioautography assays were used to determine the biological activity of the plant extracts against the tested fungal pathogens. Of the twelve plant species, extracts of A. grandiflora, Smilax anceps, and L. camara were active against M. gypsum and T. rubrum with MIC values ranging between 0.02 and 0.04 mg/ml, respectively. Antifungal compounds were visible in the acetone, methanol, DCM, and ethyl acetate extracts of A. grandiflora and F. sansibarica. The findings revealed that the growth pattern of these dermatophytes exhibited different qualities though they were from the same fungal strain. Microsporum gypseum and
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/icsb/2025_ICSB/Schedule/18