Krantz aloe

Krantz aloe; Aloe Arborescens

A fine example of another African plant that has gained popularity and respect worldwide for its medicinal properties. In fact it was only after it was used to treat irradiation burn victims of Hiroshima that its healing properties received attention from the West. Extracts from the leaves have been widely investigated since then and shown significant wound healing, anti-bacterial, anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, hypoglycaemic and also alopoeic activity. The leaves have also been found to have purgative properties and relieve x-ray burns.

Although the Aloe Vera is the better-known aloe, Aloe Arborescens is the most widespread. Native to South Africa and widespread in nearly all the temperate zones of the world, it has never been exploited industrially, a characteristic that makes it genetically very strong and resistant. Aloe arborescens is one of approximately 130 Aloe species native to southern Africa. It is possibly the most widely cultivated aloe in the world and can be seen grown in gardens in many cities around the world.

Aloe arborescens is in fact a large, much-branched shrub. It is distributed mainly over the eastern, summer rainfall areas of South Africa, occurring from the Cape Peninsula through KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo province and further north into Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. It can be found growing at sea level right up to the tops of mountains.

Recorded Medicinal history:
Aloe has been used as a folk medicine for centuries all over the world. The name aloe is from the Greek alsos and refers to the bitter juice from the leaves of these plants. It is probably derived from the earlier Arabic word alloeh or the Hebrew word allal, both meaning bitter. The Latin word arborescens means tree forming or tree-like.

Ancient Egyptian papyrus and Mesopotamian clay tablets describe Aloe as useful in curing infections, treating skin problems and as a laxative. Cleopatra was said to include Aloe cream in her beauty regimen and Hippocrates and Arab physicians used Aloe. It was carried to the Western Hemisphere by Spanish explorers. Legend has it that Alexander the Great captured the island of Socotra to secure its Aloe supplies to treat his wounded soldiers.

Aloe is popular in both traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. African traditional healers chose the Aloe Arborescens as the aloe best representing African traditional medicinal plants as seen in the Pretoria Botanical gardens.

Uses:
Aloe Arborescens is regularly used to treat livestock such as calves and chickens, domestic animals as well as humans. It is a convenient first-aid treatment for burns, wounds, abrasions, cancer sores and digestive tonic. There is growing experimental evidence for its use as an antiviral and an adjuvant cancer treatment due to its immune modulating effects.

More: www.herbalafrica.co.za/aloe.html

Aloe vera

Aloe vera:

One of the oldest known herbal medicine that can be traced back in ancient Egypt. Aloe vera plant was depicted on stone carvings and in Eber's papyrus in 16th Century BCE, found in burial grounds of deceased pharoahs..

Aloe vera was historically used to heal wounds and treat various skin conditions, Aloe was also taken orally as a laxative. Nowadays, aloe extract is still popularly used as a home remedy for skin problems such as psoriasis, burns, sunburns, insect bites and others. Aloe vera can be found in many skin products such as lotions, gels and sunblocks. Other folkloric uses include treatment of arthritis, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and osteoarthritis.

More: www.medicalhealthguide.com/articles/aloevera.htm

 

Warburgia (Pepperbark, Isibhaha, Peperbasboom)

Warburgia; Warburgia salutaris

Warbugia, an antifungal herb, is the most valuable of the natural African antimicrobials, and the bark and leaves have been used to treat yeast, fungal, bacterial and protozoal infections for centuries. This makes Warburgia not only excellent for helping treat bacterial infections such as chest infections (especially bronchitis) but also kills off the pesky candida albicans fungi

Warburgia Bark's unique anti-microbial and anti-fungal activities have been attributed to its hot tasting compounds known as sesquiterpenoids such as polygodial.

These findings would have come as no surprise at all to traditional African healers who have used this plant to fight yeast, fungal and bacterial infections for hundreds of years and this herb is now available here in supplement form.

More: www.herbalremedies.com/african-warburgia.html

Wild Yam

Wild Yam: Dioscorea dregeana

The Zulu name ‘isidikwa ‘ means ‘drunkard’, referring to the reported effects that it may have.

The Zulu use the large tuber as a sedative in the treatment of epilepsy, hysteria, insomnia and acute psychosis.  It is also used topically for scabies. In ancient times, it was used as a general anesthetic to enable fractures of the limb to be manipulated and stabilized by traditional bone-setters.

The plant contains natural hormones – oestrogens etc. – and is used to make creams to treat Menopause as a hormone replacement. Dioscorea dregeana is sometimes combined with Boophane disticha for the purpose of divination. However, human deaths have been reported after the use of the plant as famine food or as medicine.

This species is reported to make a person ‘mad drunk’ and it has been used in poison bait to destroy monkeys by boiling mealie cobs in water with the root.

This Dioscorea, due to its toxicity, is often planted to eradicate moles (intukuzi) in the fields and home gardens. It is often planted together with crops, especially root and tuber plants, such as amabhatata (Ipomoea batatas, sweet potato) and amadumbe Colocasia esculenta, coco yam).

The fresh tuber is generally taken orally as a weak decoction, with an adequate dose resulting in sleep within 20–30 minutes. overdose can lead to paralysis and death.

More: https://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/dioscoreadrageana.htm

Wild Ginger

Wild ginger; Asarum

A forest floor plant with aromatic rhizomatous roots. The leaves are deciduous and sprout annually from the underground stem in spring, they may reach a height of up to 400mm. The leaves are light green, lance shaped and borne on the end of stem-like leaf bases. The male and female organs are borne on separate plants, female plants tend to be smaller than male plants. The small berry-like fruits are produced at or near ground level after the flowers.
It is used by the Zulu people as a protection against lightning and snakes. The rhizomes and roots are chewed fresh to treat asthma, hysteria, colds, coughs & flu. A preparation of this plant is administered to horses as prevention against horse sickness. Wild Ginger is used by the Swati people to treat malaria and is chewed by women during menstruation.

one of the Zulu’s top herbal medicines and widely used throughout its distribution area. This plant is highly prized for its medicinal value and as a result has been over harvested from the wild to a point just short of total extinction in South Africa.
This plant has a long history in African traditional medicine for a range of conditions including arthritis, asthma, candida, colds & flu, coughs, dysmenorrhoea, headaches, hysteria, influenza, menstrual cramps, mild asthma, mood swings, premenstrual syndrome, sinusitis, throat infections, thrush and to clear nasal passages.

The African ginger has a stimulating effect on the heart and circulation, creating a feeling of warmth and well-being and restoring vitality, especially for those feeling the cold in winter.

Hot ginger tea promotes perspiration, brings down a fever and helps to clear catarrh. Ginger has a stimulating and expectorant action in the lungs, expelling phlegm and relieving catarrhal coughs and chest infections.

African ginger is a wonderful aid to digestion. It invigorates the stomach and intestines, stimulating the appetite and enhancing digestion by encouraging secretion of digestive enzymes. It moves stagnation of food and subsequent accumulation of toxins, which has a far-reaching effect throughout the body, increasing general health, vitality and enhancing immunity.

African ginger is famous for relieving nausea and vomiting, from whatever cause. It settles the stomach, soothes indigestion and calms wind. Its pain-relieving and relaxing effects in the gut relieve colic and spasm, abdominal pain, distension and flatulent indigestion and help to relieve griping caused by diarrhoea.

In the uterus it promotes menstruation, useful for delayed and scanty periods as well as clots. African ginger relaxes spasm and relieves painful ovulation and periods, and is recommended to invigorate the reproductive system. African ginger also inhibits clotting and thins the blood; it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol.
A preparation of this plant is administered to horses as prevention against horse sickness.

Europeans regard the African ginger as Africa’s best natural anti-inflammatory remedy, besides its many other uses.

Other beneficial uses:

• African ginger is an excellent remedy for digestive complaints (indigestion, nausea, gas, colic and congestion).
• African ginger 's antiseptic qualities make it highly beneficial for gastro-intestinal infections.
• Circulatory stimulant - stimulates the circulation making it an important remedy for chilblains and poor circulation. By improving the circulation, ginger helps reducing high blood pressure.
• African ginger helps to "thin" the blood as well as to lower cholesterol.
• African ginger is useful as a supplement for heartburn & halitosis (bad breath).
• African ginger is known to relieve vomiting and to sooth the stomach and spleen in the process.
• African ginger is a warm vascular stimulant and body cleanser. It encourages the removal of toxins through the skin, and through increased kidney filtration.
• African ginger relieves motion sickness and morning sickness.

More: www.herbalafrica.co.za/africanginger.html