M.Sc. (Botany) / A few poorly studied Cape herbal medicinal plants of historic and potential commercial interest which form part of the traditional medicine system of the Cape Region have been selected for this study. These are Centella glabrata L., Olea europaea L. subsp. africana (Mill.), Rafnia amplexicaulis (L.) Thunb. and Tulbaghia alliacea L.f. Centella C. asiatica is mainly used to treat skin conditions and wounds, tuberculosis and coughs and cooked and eaten as a vegetable in South Africa. The treatment of heartburn in the Wild Coast is a recent record. Decoctions of the leaves and stalks of C. glabrata were used for treating diarrhea and dysentery by the early Cape settlers. C. stenophylla or “klipdagga” is used in the treatment of high blood pressure and diabetes in the Still Bay area. This is also a recent new record. The anatomy of the few Centella species studied differed dramatically both in the leaf lamina and the petiole and could be used to differentiate between the species studied. A wider study would be very interesting and could be useful to distinguish between the species. This could have great potential as the ca. 45 species of Centella are often very difficult to distinguish from one another.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:11629 |
| Date | 01 July 2014 |
| Creators | Long, Helen Selma |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannebsurg |
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