Abstract
M.Sc. (Botany)
A few poorly studied Cape herbal medicinal plants of historic and potential
commercial interest which form part of the traditional medicine system of the Cape
Region have been selected for this study. These are Centella glabrata L., Olea
europaea L. subsp. africana (Mill.), Rafnia amplexicaulis (L.) Thunb. and Tulbaghia
alliacea L.f.
Centella
C. asiatica is mainly used to treat skin conditions and wounds, tuberculosis and
coughs and cooked and eaten as a vegetable in South Africa. The treatment of
heartburn in the Wild Coast is a recent record. Decoctions of the leaves and stalks of
C. glabrata were used for treating diarrhea and dysentery by the early Cape settlers.
C. stenophylla or “klipdagga” is used in the treatment of high blood pressure and
diabetes in the Still Bay area. This is also a recent new record.
The anatomy of the few Centella species studied differed dramatically both in the
leaf lamina and the petiole and could be used to differentiate between the species
studied. A wider study would be very interesting and could be useful to distinguish
between the species. This could have great potential as the ca. 45 species of
Centella are often very difficult to distinguish from one another.