So, I am planning a visit to Cape Town, S.A. soon and thought I’d share a few superlative South African herbs with you.

Please consult with your healthcare professional before utilization of any and all herbs.

Medicinal plants are plants which are used in herbalism and thought to have certain
extractable/compound in their leaves, stems, flowers and fruit for medicinal purposes.
These extracts are used as inputs in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, insecticide
and other chemical industries.

Aloe ferox
Scientific name: Aloe ferox Mill
Common names: Bitter aloe, tap aloe, cape aloe, red aloe (English); bitteraalwyn,
tapaalwyn, bergaalwyn (Afrikaans); inlaba (isiZulu); ikhala
(isiXhosa)
Family: Aloaceae
Description: Aloe ferox is a succulent plant that reaches 2 to 3 m in height. It has
a perennial, strong and adventitious/fibrous root system and is a robust, single,
unbranched woody stemmed plant. The leaves are broad, dull green to greyish
green, but turn reddish in colour when under drought stress.
Production areas: In South Africa, Aloe ferox is distributed throughout the Western
Cape, Eastern Cape, southern KwaZulu-Natal, south-eastern part of the Free State.
Parts used: Leaves
Climatic and soil requirements: Aloe ferox grows well in warm climates with a
temperature ranging between 12 oC and 21 oC. The plant also grows well on a well
drained, sandy soil.
Propagation: It may be grown from seeds and stem cuttings. Seeds can be
collected in winter or spring.
Planting: It can be planted in spring, 1,5 to 2 m from each other.
Fertilisation: A small quantity of manure is required to enhance the growth of the
plant and organic compost to speed up growth.
Pests: The major insects identified in Aloe ferox include aloe snout beetle, scale
insects, mealy bug and mites.
Diseases: The plant is prone to a variety of diseases, including aloe cancer (also
called galls), leaf spots, bacterial infections and aloe rust.
Harvesting: The crop is ready for harvesting after 18 months of cultivation. Only 10
to 15 of the lower leaves of an adult plant are harvested once a year. The leaves
are cut with a sickle.
Uses: Leaves have been traditionally used for stomach complaints, arthritis, eczema,
conjunctivitis, hypertension and stress. They are also used to treat skin irritations and
bruises.

African ginger
Scientific name: Siphonochilus aethiopicus
Common names: Natal ginger, african ginger (English); wildegemmer (Afrikaans);
indungulo, isiphephetho (isiZulu)
Family: Zingiberaceae
Description: African ginger is a herbaceous perennial plant of the forest floor. The
flowers are broadly funnel- shaped, pink and white in colour. The leaves are light
green, heart- shaped and borne on the end of stem-like leaf bases. The stems reach
a maximum height of 2 m. It has thick roots, whitish or buff- coloured in appearance.
Production areas: In South Africa, African ginger is distributed in Mpumalanga and
Limpopo.
Parts used: Secondary roots and rhizomes
Climatic and soil requirements: A soil temperature of between 20 and 22 oC and
air temperature of around 20 oC are suitable. It grows best in a well-drained, red and
yellowish-brown soil rich in organic matter. The best soil pH for african ginger is 6,0
to 7,0.
Propagation: African ginger is propagated by seeds, rhizomes or tissue culture.
Propagation of rhizomes can be done in spring.
Planting: Spring or summer is the ideal time for planting african ginger. Seeds should
be planted in 2 or 3 furrows, approximately 15 cm deep into the soil with a spacing
of 18 cm apart and 72 cm between the rows.
Fertilisation: High levels of organic matter are required. Light application of organic
fertiliser (e.g. N, P and K) should be made.
Pests: The major insects and pest identified in african ginger include nematodes,
aphids, caterpillars, leaf-miner, leaf spots and mites.
Diseases: The most frequent diseases in african ginger include: damping off,
powdery mildew, rust and leaf spot.
Harvesting: The harvesting method is determined by the purpose for which the plant
is grown. African ginger can be harvested by hand or mechanically with a rotary
cutter. It can be harvested by digging it up and removing all of the plant from about
10 cm below the crown or it can be lifted by hand and the green leaves, stem and
root broken off.
Uses: Fresh roots or rhizomes can be chewed to treat influenza. It can also be used
for colds, asthma, to treat malaria and by women during menstruation. The plant
has also been traditionally used as an appetite suppressant and sedative.

Wild rosemary
Scientific name: Eriocephalus africanus
Common names: Wild rosemary, marsh rosemary, moorwort, cape snowbush
(English); pokbos (Afrikaans)
Family: Labiatae
Description: The plant is a small, multi-branched evergreen shrub of up to 1 to
1,5 m in height. It has woody stems with brown, tough bark. The root system is welldeveloped with a taproot that can penetrate the soil to a depth of 6 m and lateral
roots that extend about 2 m around the plant. The evergreen leaves are about 2,
54 cm long.
Production areas: In South Africa, wild rosemary is distributed throughout the Western
Cape and Eastern Cape Province.
Parts used: The young tops, leaves, flowers, seed and stems/sprigs
Climate and soil requirements: Wild rosemary prefers night temperatures of
between 10 to 13 oC, day temperatures of between 20 and 22 oC and well-drained
soil that is sandy, loamy and quite dry.
Propagation: Wild rosemary is propagated by seeds, cuttings, layering and division
of roots.
Planting: The seeds can be sown in spring or autumn and the cuttings can also
be taken in spring or autumn, however, in the Western Cape it is planted in the wet
winter months. Cultivated plants are planted in rows and spaced 1, 2 m x 0, 5 m
apart.
Fertilisation: Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur should be applied
annually according to the soil analysis.
Pests: The major insects identified in wild rosemary include aphids, spider mites, gall
midge and rosemary leaf beetle.
Diseases: The major diseases identified in wild rosemary include box blight, root
disease and powdery mildew.
Harvesting: The plant is ready for harvesting 2 to 3 years after planting.
Uses: The leaves are rubbed and smoked for asthma and other infections of the
throat and lungs.

Cancer bush
Scientific name: Sutherlandia frutescens (Lessertia frutescens)
Common names: Sutherlandia, cancer bush, turkey flower,balloon pea (English);
umnwele, unwele (isiXhosa and isiZulu); kankerbossie,
blaasbossie, blaas-ertjie, eendjies, gansiekeurtjie, klappers,
hoenderbelletjie (Afrikaans); phetola, mokakana (Setswana);
lerumo-lamadi (Sepedi); musa-pelo, motlepelo (Sesotho)
Family: Fabaceae
Description: Cancer bush is a hardy perennial shrub that can grow up to 3 m tall. It
has a remedy stem. The leaves are pinnately compound. The flowers are orangered, up to 3 cm long.
Production areas: In South Africa, the plant is found in the Northern Cape, Eastern
Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Mpumalanga provinces.
Parts used: Leaves and young stems
Climate and soil requirements: Cancer bush prefers full sun, well-drained soils and
a location receiving substantial moisture. The optimum day temperature should be
about 25 oC. It prefers a soil pH of 7, 6 to 8, 1.
Propagation: The plants are propagated from seeds and cuttings.
Planting: Planting should be done in spring or autumn. Seeds should be sown 1 m
apart in groups of three to five.
Fertilisation: The soil mixture should contain two parts sand and one part compost.
Pests: There are no known pests that damage cancer bush plants.
Diseases: Damping off and rot disease could lead to damage to the plants.
Harvesting: Cancer bush can be harvest in spring to early summer. The entire plant
is harvested using manual or mechanical cutting.
Uses: Leaves have been traditionally used to treat fever, poor appetite, indigestion,
gastritis, peptic ulcer, dysentery, cancer, diabetes, colds and flu, cough, asthma,
chronic bronchitis, kidney and liver conditions, rheumatism, heart failure, urinary tract
infections as well as stress and anxiety.