The Development of Indigenous Knowledge of Medicinal Plant Uses among Four Indigenous Communities of Limpopo Province, South Africa

Pages: 201-204
Sejabaledi A. Rankoana (Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa)

Indigenous health knowledge refers to the skills and information created by human societies to treat sickness and improve well-being. Typically, this knowledge focuses on disease prevention and treatment via the use of indigenous plant-based therapies. The wealth of medical ethnobotanical data acquired in Limpopo Province, South Africa, necessitated an account of the development of knowledge regarding medicinal plant use. A purposive sampling procedure was used to make up a sample of 240 participants with the age range of between 25 and 90 years. They were traditional health practitioners, ordinary community members and patients consulting with traditional health practitioners. Common knowledge gained from family, friends, and neighbors; information inherited from ancestors; and apprenticeship knowledge are the main ways in which knowledge of medicinal plant use was developed. The knowledge was acquired and handed down verbally over generations, and it remains applicable today. This knowledge was passed down orally throughout centuries, protected as the family’s or practitioner’s trade sectret, whereas common knowledge is held as part of the community’s cultural heritage.