Exotic plants used therapeutically by <em>Bapedi</em> traditional healers for respiratory infections and related symptoms in the Limpopo province, South Africa

Abstract

The present study examines the use of exotic plants by <em>Bapedi</em> healers (THs) as medicine for respiratory infections (RIs) and related symptoms (RLs). A sample of 240 THs practising in the Limpopo Province, South Africa was questioned using a semi-structured questionnaire, supplemented by personal observations. Thirty-eight plants comprising of 35 genera belonging to 26 botanical families, mainly the Solanaceae (5 spp.) and Poaceae (3 spp.), were documented. Herbs (44.7 %, n = 17) constituted the major habit followed by trees (42.1 %, n = 16). The most important plants according to use mention (UM) and fidelity level (FL) indexes were <em>Zingiber officinale</em> (UM = 240 and FL = 99.5 %, chronic cough), <em>Moringa oleifera</em> (UM = 210 and FL = 100 %, fatigue), <em>Datura stramonium</em> (UM = 202 and FL = 100 %, chest pain), <em>Jacaranda mimosifolia</em> (UM = 156 and FL 100 %, chronic cough) and <em>Schkuhria pinnata</em> (UM = 105 and FL = 94.5 %, painful eyes). These plants also yielded the highest use value (UV) index, but with<em> M. oleifera </em>(fatigue; UV = 0.87), followed by <em>D. stramonium</em> (chest pain; UV = 0.84), <em>J. mimosifolia</em> (chronic cough; UV = 0.65) and <em>S. pinnata</em> (asthma, fatigue and painful eyes; UV = 0.46) being the most appreciated. Overall, larger number of species recorded in our study illustrates the important role played by foreign plants as treatment of RIs and RLs in the <em>Bapedi</em> traditional healing sector.