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Indigenous Medicine and Primary Health Care: The Importance of Lay Knowledge and Use of Medicinal Plants in Rural South Africa

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Abstract

Indigenous medicine is important to rural livelihoods, but lay knowledge and use of medicinal plants has not been extensively studied. Research in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, showed that medicinal plants were frequently used by villagers and contributed to their ability to cope with health problems. Knowledge of plants and household remedies was extensive and varied in that households often held different knowledge. Villagers mainly relied on common species, and were generally aware of alternative species for a certain ailment. People were flexible in their use of indigenous and western health care, which were both perceived as beneficial. Improved cooperation between health care systems could improve health standards. Extraction of medicinal plants has been described as unsustainable in the region—a situation not found in the study area. It is argued that conservation policies aimed to restrict access should be differential and potentially not include local consumption, since this may be ecologically unnecessary and entail local hardships.

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Acknowledgements

The research was made possible through funding by the Swedish Agency for International Development Cooperation/The Department for Research Cooperation (Sida/SAREC), the Swedish Research Council, SSAG, and Geografiska Förbundet. We wish to thank the people of Mnqobokazi who welcomed us, and who generously shared their time and knowledge with us. We are especially grateful to Samuel Ngwane, who sadly passed away in June 2008. We want to thank Pilisiwe Nhlenyama, Fish Nhlenyama and Shinga Mthethwa for their help and enthusiasm. We are also indebted to Wille Östberg, Charlie Shackleton and two anonymous reviewers for insightful comments on earlier versions of the paper. The interpretation of facts and views expressed in this paper are those of the authors alone.

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  1. Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Annika C. Dahlberg

  2. Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Sophie B. Trygger

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  1. Annika C. Dahlberg
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  2. Sophie B. Trygger
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Correspondence to Annika C. Dahlberg.

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Dahlberg, A.C., Trygger, S.B. Indigenous Medicine and Primary Health Care: The Importance of Lay Knowledge and Use of Medicinal Plants in Rural South Africa. Hum Ecol 37, 79–94 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-009-9217-6

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