Research and development of medicinal plant products in South Africa: Historical perspectives and current trends

South Africa is a hotspot of botanical and cultural diversity and home to the most ancient lineage of modern humans, the /Xam people (Southern Bushmen). In situ selection (especially in the Cape region), of medicinal plants over potentially thousands of years have resulted in a unique medicinal culture [ 1 ] with several endemic plant species as the materia medica . Well-known examples of South African plant species that have been commercialized and are now cultivated include Agathosma betulina (P.J.Bergius) Pillans (Rutaceae), Aloe ferox Mill. (Asphodelaceae), Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd. (Asteraceae), Aspalathus linearis (Burm.f.) R.Dahlgren (Fabaceae), Bulbine frutescens (L.) Willd. (Asphodelaceae), Cyclopia genistoides (L.) R.Br. (Fabaceae), Harpagophytum procumbens (Burch.) DC. ex Meisn. (Pedaliaceae), Hoodia gordonii (Masson) Sweet ex Decne. (Apocynaceae), Lessertia frutescens (L.) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning (Fabaceae), Mesembryanthemum tortuosum L. (Aizoaceae) and Pelargonium sidoides DC. (Geraniaceae) [ 2 ]. Ethnobotanical studies over the last decades have revealed several widely used but hitherto scientifically unexplored species with commercial potential as medicinal products and functional foods, such as Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis (L.f.) Koek. (Asteraceae) – a traditional deodorant and flavourant, Dicoma capensis Less. (Asteraceae) – a traditional tonic and diuretic , Diosma hirsuta L. (Rutaceae) – once the most important original Khoisan buchu of the Cape, as yet poorly studied) and Rafnia amplexicaulis (L.) Thunb. (Fabaceae) – a traditional phytoestrogen. The historical and contemporary processes through which South African plant species have become commercialized vary greatly [ 3 ]. Research and development activities are not only ongoing but also gaining new momentum [ 4 ]. Publication History Article published online: 05 March 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany