M.Sc. / Scientific relevance: Qualitative and quantitative data is presented that give a new perspective on the traditional medicinal plants of the Khoisan (Khoe-San), one of the most ancient of human cultures. The data is not only of considerable historical and cultural value, but allows for fascinating comparative studies relating to new species records, novel use records and the spatial distribution of traditional medicinal plant use knowledge within the Cape Floristic Region. Aim of the study: A detailed documentation and quantitative analysis of medicinal plants of the Kamiesberg area (an important Khoisan and Nama cultural centre) and their medicinal traditional uses, which have hitherto remained unrecorded. Materials and methods: During four study visits to the Kamiesberg, semi-structured and structured interviews were conducted with 23 local inhabitants of the Kamiesberg, mostly of Khoisan decent. In addition to standard methodology, a newly developed Matrix Method was used to quantity medicinal plant knowledge. Results: The Kamiesberg is an important center of extant Nama ethnomedicinal information but the knowledge is rapidly disappearing. Of a total of 101 medicinal plants and 1375 anecdotes, 21 species were recorded for the first time as having traditional medicinal uses and at least 284 medicinal use records were new. The relative importance, popularity and uses of the plants were quantified. The 97 newly documented vernacular names include 23 Nama (Khoekhoegowab) names and an additional 55 new variations of known names. The calculated Ethnobotanical Knowledge Index (EKI) and other indices accurately quantify the level of knowledge and will allow for future comparisons, not only within the Kamiesberg area but also with other southern African communities of Khoisan decent. Conclusion: The results showed that the Kamiesberg is an important focal point of Khoisan (Nama) traditional knowledge but that the medicinal plants have not yet been systematically recorded in the scientific literature. There are numerous new use records and new species records that are in need of scientific study. Comparative data is now available for broader comparisons of the pattern of Khoisan plants use in southern Africa and the study represents another step towards a complete synthesis of Cape Herbal Medicine.

M.Sc. / This study aimed to systematically record and thus preserve indigenous plant use information of the Agter-Hantam area in a scientifically accurate way and to make a contribution to the knowledge of Khoi-San ethnobotany. The research work met all the minimum standards for ethnobotanical research as proposed by Heinrich et al. (2009), which includes that field studies should be built on a clear conceptual framework and hypothesis testing, that ethical clearance should be obtained, the methodology/ research procedures should adhere to minimum requirements, and the research should comply with data standards that will make it possible to use specific information in future experimental and applied research. The study area was the Agter-Hantam region, Calvinia district, Northern Cape Province of South Africa, where the ancestors of the supervisor have had a well-recorded presence since the 1770’s. The rapid appraisal methodology was initially used and this was followed by a new rigorous and practical quantitative approach developed during this study ̶ here referred to as the Matrix Method in conducting ethnobotanical field work. The survey has revealed a wealth of traditional knowledge on useful plants amongst people of Khoi-San decent in the Agter-Hantam. The traditional and contemporary uses of 64 plant species were accurately recorded. Previously unpublished information on indigenous plant use revealed by this study includes 14 new species records of useful plants, 20 new vernacular names not recorded in literature, and 99 new uses for 46 of the plant species. Although some work has been done in what Prance et al. (1987) coined as “quantitative ethnobotany”, this study also introduced two new terms- the Ethnobotanical Knowledge Index (EKI), a quantitative measure of a person’s knowledge of local plant use (with a value between 0 and 1), and the Species Popularity Index (SPI), a quantitative measure of the popularity of each species (value between 0 and 1). In the Agter-Hantam, the EKI of participants varied from 0.20 to 0.93. The best known and most popular indigenous plants in the Agter-Hantam are Aloe microstigma (a new species record, with a SPI of 0.97), Hoodia gordonii (SPI = 0.94), Microloma sagittatum (0.94), Sutherlandia frutescens (0.92), Quaqua incarnata (0.92) and Galenia africana (0.85).