Return to search

Development of a bulbine frutescens and carpobrotus edulis cream in collaboration with african traditional healers of the Nelson Mandela Metropole

Collaborations between researchers and African traditional healers on medicinal plants need to go beyond the flow of information from African traditional healers to researchers. Mutual beneficiation wherein African traditional healers reap rewards due to the information they possess is necessary and has been legislated in South Africa. The manner in which such beneficiation occurs and how it will be distributed should be subject to negotiation between (a) the researchers and holders of indigenous knowledge and (b) among holders of indigenous knowledge themselves. Beneficiation can be in the form of access to information, monetary or through shares in commercialised products, amongst others. African traditional healers involved in the collaboration with researchers of the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology and the Department of Pharmacy at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University beneficiated by having access to knowledge and medicinal plants cultivated in the medicinal garden. Beneficiation was expected to extend to monetary gains from the sale of sewn garments and plants from a medicinal plants nursery which was to be developed and from a herbal topical product which was also to be developed. The aim of this research project was to develop a wound healing herbal cream consisting of Bulbine frutescens and Carpobrotus edulis as active ingredients. B. frutescens demonstrated better wound closure properties when compared to C. edulis and the combined extracts. The scratch assay wound was completely closed after 24 hours at B. frutescens concentrations of 5 μg/ml and 10 μg/ml. B. frutescens was more toxic to 3t3-L1 cells than C. edulis, but it was less toxic than the combined extracts. None of the extracts were toxic to Vero cells and the combined extracts significantly promoted their proliferation. Antibacterial activity of all the extracts was low. C. edulis showed antiviral activity against human herpes simplex virus 1 at 62.5, 125 and 250 μg/ml, while the combined extracts were active at 250 μg/ml. The combined extracts exhibited synergistic antioxidant activity. A reverse phase, gradient, high performance liquid chromatography method was developed and validated and used to conduct quality control tests on the extracts and the finished product. It was concluded that the use of whole chromatographic data instead of common peaks data is best for analysis of medicinal plants. The cream that was developed used buffered cream as the base and was stable at 25 °C/65 percent RH for one month with regard to organoleptic and rheological properties and microbial preservation.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:10358
Date January 2014
CreatorsKeele, Mbali Zamathiyane
PublisherNelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Science
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis, Doctoral, PhD
Formatxxiii, 136 leaves : col. ill, pdf
RightsNelson Mandela Metropolitan University

Page generated in 0.0023 seconds