September is Heritage Month. This year's focus is on modernising, transforming and repositioning South Africa's museums and heritage sites to ensure they remain spaces of community engagement, innovation and relevance in the face of ongoing social and technological shifts.
As the country commemorates our heritage under the theme “Reimagine our heritage institutions for a new era”, I believe true medical advancement in South Africa lies in building a bridge between the traditional healer's hut and the scientific laboratory.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of South Africans could not afford expensive hospital treatments and prescribed medications. The harsh realities of our economy left mainstream healthcare completely out of reach for many. In response, our communities did what they have always done: they turned to the soil.
They looked to ancestral guidance and practices across the nine provinces, depending on these traditional plants for survival. To a significant extent, the pandemic not only deepened South Africa's reliance on traditional medicine but also permanently changed our assumptions about its importance as a frontline defence against various diseases, including cancer and diabetes.
This heavy reliance on traditional plants across diverse population groups highlights their critical role within South Africa's cultural and healthcare landscape. However, it also carries a silent, dangerous risk that we can no longer afford to ignore.
According to Professor Pakiso Moses Makhoahle, a medical biological scientist at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT), indigenous knowledge is an invaluable archive of African history and survival, but it is not bulletproof.
For decades, the success of a traditional mixture has been measured purely by external signs of healing — patients feeling less pain or showing visible signs of recovery. What remains hidden, however, is the silent toll these unstudied plant mixtures can take on the body, especially internal organs. Without proper scientific testing, the thin line between a life-saving remedy and a toxic poison can become dangerously blurred, which emphasises the urgent need for collaboration between healers and scientists.
Professor Makhoahle's extensive research explores the chemical duality of several highly popular medicinal plants:
- The bitter-apple (Umthuma / Thola): Traditional healers use this plant widely to treat various ailments. While laboratory screenings show that certain isolated compounds in the fruit possess powerful properties that are being studied for therapeutic potential, the berries also contain high levels of solanine — a compound known to cause severe health complications and organ damage if misused;
- Wild dagga (Umfincafincane / Lebake): Heavily brewed into a daily tea to treat serious illnesses. While it offers clear traditional benefits, studies confirm that drinking uncontrolled amounts over extended periods can negatively affect the blood system, kidneys and liver;
- The blue lily (Isilakati / Leta-la-phofu): Roots are boiled for hours to treat chronic conditions. While the root extracts generally demonstrate low acute toxicity, rigorous botanical testing shows that the green leaves are highly poisonous if prepared incorrectly; and
- The silver starflower (Ixalanxa / Inongwe): Belonging to the same family as the famous African Potato, its bulbs are crushed into teas to fight chronic illnesses.
Despite its widespread application, there is no long-term scientific data proving whether extended use is truly safe for the human body.
These toxicological studies aim not to replace traditional healing with Western medicine but to highlight the necessity of proper administration and patient safety. Cooperation between traditional healers and scientists is important.
Building a bridge between the healer's hut and the laboratory can inspire trust, validate the safe application of indigenous resources and motivate the public to support the integration of African traditional medicine into the mainstream health system.
Moshoati Daniel Maritz is a community engagement specialist and the director of community engagement at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT). He has spent over two decades navigating stakeholder relations and corporate communication in the Free State. As September is Heritage Month, he highlights vital efforts in academia to integrate Indigenous Knowledge with scholarly research. This blending is important for universities, as it enriches the academic landscape.