Boscia albitrunca is a medium-sized tree widely used as herbal medicine in Southern Africa. The current study critically reviewed the botany, medicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of B. albitrunca. Literature on botany, medicinal uses, phytochemical, and biological activities of B. albitrunca was collected from multiple internet sources including Elsevier, Google Scholar, SciFinder, Web of Science, PubMed, BMC, Science Direct, and Scopus. Complementary information was gathered from pre-electronic sources such as books, book chapters, theses, scientific reports, and journal articles obtained from the university library. This study revealed that the species is used as herbal medicine in 75.0% of the countries in Southern Africa where the species is indigenous. The bark, leaves, and roots of B. albitrunca are mainly used as herbal medicines for constipation, epilepsy, hemorrhoids, headache, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome, skin diseases, syphilis, and as ethnoveterinary medicine. Ethnopharmacological research identified phenolic compounds, alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, tannins, and triterpernoids from leaves of B. albitrunca. The crude extracts of the species and the compound martynoside isolated from B. albitrunca exhibited antibacterial and antifungal activities. B. albitrunca should be subjected to detailed phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological evaluations aimed at correlating its medicinal uses with its phytochemistry and pharmacological activities.

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Traditional utilization of medicinal plants against diabetes mellitus (DM) is common in South Africa and other African countries. This study was aimed at documenting medicinal plants used against DM by the Bapedi and Vhavenda ethnic groups of the Limpopo province, South Africa. This study was based on a review of literature published in scientific journals, books, reports from national, regional, and international organizations, theses and conference papers obtained from libraries and electronic databases. A total of 61 plant species belonging to 39 botanical families, mainly the Fabaceae (n=6), Asteraceae (n=5), and Cucurbitaceae (n=4) were used by Bapedi (n=33) and Vhavenda (n=25) to treat and manage DM. Cassia abbreviata, Momordica balsamina, and Moringa oleifera are used by both the Bapedi and Vhavenda people. Plant parts widely used to prepare DM medicines include roots (40.0%), leaves (27.0%), bark (15.0%), and whole plant (7.0%). Monotherapy preparations made from a single plant species are the most dominant (88.5%) while 11.5% are prepared from a combination of two or more species. More than half (65.5%) of the species used to treat and manage DM are known to possess antidiabetic activities and various secondary metabolites. This study illustrates the importance of medicinal plants in the treatment and management of DM in South Africa.

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Background: Most people who reside in rural areas have over the years benefited from the utilization of forest products obtained from forests and surrounding woodlands. Both timber and non-timber forest products are important in livelihood maintenance, provision of security, reduction of poverty and malnutrition and help generate income. The aim of the study is to evaluate and document plants that are traditionally used by community in Gokwe South District, Zimbabwe and to assess their contribution to the livelihood and sustenance of the community. Methods: Ethnobotanical data was collected from February 2022 till March 2022 through semi-structured interviews and data analysed through quantitative indices such as use value (UV) and relative frequency of citation (RFC). Field surveys were made to collect voucher specimens, which were identified, authenticated and deposited at the National Herbarium, Zimbabwe.Results: A total of 89 plant species belonging to 81 genera and 44 families are traditionally used in Gokwe South District. The Fabaceae family is the highest plant species (15 species) followed by Anacardiaceae and Euphorbiaceae (five species each). Seven use categories were identified with the food category recording the highest number of plant species used (48 species) followed by tools and handicraft (29 species).Conclusions: The study showed that the traditional use of plant is still a common practice in the district. The great diversity of plants gives the need for their conservation and sustainable use to be established and monitored.