The trade in medicinal plants in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

TLDR

Medicinal plants in Eastern Cape Province are harvested from diverse vegetation types, and the most frequently sold species differ markedly from those documented in similar studies elsewhere. The study aimed to document traded species, quantify annual harvests, and evaluate the economic value of the medicinal plant trade. Researchers surveyed 282 participants across six urban centres, covering informal hawkers, store owners, traditional healers, and consumers of traditional medicines. The trade is dominated by poorly educated black middle‑aged women of low economic standing, involves at least 166 species yielding 525 tonnes of material valued at roughly R27 million per year, and is largely unsustainable—93 % of species are overharvested, with the Forest Biome most threatened and 34 species earmarked for conservation.

Abstract

A study of the trade in medicinal plants in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa undertook to document the species traded, to determine the quantities harvested annually, and to assess the economic value of the trade. All the participants involved at the different levels of the trade were included in the survey, that is, informal street hawkers, owners of amayeza esiXhosal/Ig stores, traditional healers, and consumers of traditional medicines. In total, 282 questionnaires were administered in six urban centres. It was found that poorly educated black middle-aged women of low economic standing dominate the trade. A minimum of 166 medicinal plant species were traded at the study sites alone, providing 525 tonnes of plant material valued at approximately R27 million annually. Plants were harvested from a diverse range of vegetation types including Valley Thicket, Afromontane Forest, Coastal Forest and Moist Upland Grassland, the most frequently sold species differing significantly from those documented in similar studies in other regions. The Forest Biome was the vegetation type found to be most threatened by over-harvesting. Of the species documented, 93% were being harvested unsustainably and 34 species have been prioritised for conservation management.