Medicinal properties of some plants used for the treatment of skin disorders in the O. R. Tambo and Amathole Municipalities of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Mahachi, Josia
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Medicinal plants -- Skin -- Diseases -- Treatment , South Africa -- Eastern Cape Province
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:18487 , http://hdl.handle.net/11260/101
- Description: The use of medicinal plants for treatment of skin infections and improvement of skin tone was assessed. The study covered Amathole and OR Tambo municipalities of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study sought to identify and document some medicinal plants which are used by the indigenous people on the skin, evaluate some biological properties which attribute to their use for therapeutic use. This report provides ethnobotanical data on some plant which were identified. Six medicinal plants (Kniphofia drepanophylla, Gnidia capitata, Hypoxis hemerocallidea, Syzgium cordatum, Macaranga capensis and Protorhus longifolia) which were implicated for treatment of skin diseases were screened for their antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Guided questionnaires were used to interview and gather ethnobotanical information from the traditional healers. Members of the communities which were indicated to be knowledgeable on use of medicinal plants in the areas were visited and interviewed. The results revealed that a total of 45 plant species distributed in 41 Genera belonging to 28 Families are used for treatment of skin infections and improvement of skin texture. The plant medicines were reported to be used as remedies against common skin problem such as wounds, pimples, acnes and itches. Some were reported to have anti-inflammatory effect on the skin while other were reported to oil dry skin and prevent skin dryness and dry eczematous conditions. Others like Cassipourea flanaganii, and Spirostachys africana were commonly used to enlighten skin and protect skin from ultra-violet radiation. The most common mode of preparation of these medicinal plants was pastes or decoctions. Sometimes crushed plant materials were put in bathing water or boiled and steamed on affected parts. It was reported that mixing pastes with oil, animal fat and milk improve medicinal properties. Water, methanol and acetone extracts of K. drepanophylla, G. capitata, H. hemerocallidea, S. cordatum, M. capensis and P. longifolia were screened against five strains of Gram negative bacteria. The results revealed that water extracts from five plant species inhibited two or more strains of bacteria with the most common minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging between 5,0 to 10,0 mg/ml with the exception of aqueous extracts of K. drepanophylla which failed to inhibit all strains of bacteria. The screening of methanol extract of these plants for antioxidant and free radical activity revealed a significant activity with 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical (DPPH). The extracts of P. longifolia, G. capitata, M. capensis, S. cordutum and H. hemerocallidea showed significantly higher free radical scavenging activity with IC50 of ranging from about 11.0 to 41.2 μg/ ml while the IC50 value for K. drepanophylla could not be determined at 100 μg/ ml. Generally the study showed that medicinal plants still play a very important role in the health care delivery system, especially in the O R Tambo and Amathole municipalities of the Eastern Cape. Botanical medicine remains pivotal in the treatment of skin ailments and improvement of the skin tone.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Mahachi, Josia
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Medicinal plants -- Skin -- Diseases -- Treatment , South Africa -- Eastern Cape Province
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:18487 , http://hdl.handle.net/11260/101
- Description: The use of medicinal plants for treatment of skin infections and improvement of skin tone was assessed. The study covered Amathole and OR Tambo municipalities of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study sought to identify and document some medicinal plants which are used by the indigenous people on the skin, evaluate some biological properties which attribute to their use for therapeutic use. This report provides ethnobotanical data on some plant which were identified. Six medicinal plants (Kniphofia drepanophylla, Gnidia capitata, Hypoxis hemerocallidea, Syzgium cordatum, Macaranga capensis and Protorhus longifolia) which were implicated for treatment of skin diseases were screened for their antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Guided questionnaires were used to interview and gather ethnobotanical information from the traditional healers. Members of the communities which were indicated to be knowledgeable on use of medicinal plants in the areas were visited and interviewed. The results revealed that a total of 45 plant species distributed in 41 Genera belonging to 28 Families are used for treatment of skin infections and improvement of skin texture. The plant medicines were reported to be used as remedies against common skin problem such as wounds, pimples, acnes and itches. Some were reported to have anti-inflammatory effect on the skin while other were reported to oil dry skin and prevent skin dryness and dry eczematous conditions. Others like Cassipourea flanaganii, and Spirostachys africana were commonly used to enlighten skin and protect skin from ultra-violet radiation. The most common mode of preparation of these medicinal plants was pastes or decoctions. Sometimes crushed plant materials were put in bathing water or boiled and steamed on affected parts. It was reported that mixing pastes with oil, animal fat and milk improve medicinal properties. Water, methanol and acetone extracts of K. drepanophylla, G. capitata, H. hemerocallidea, S. cordatum, M. capensis and P. longifolia were screened against five strains of Gram negative bacteria. The results revealed that water extracts from five plant species inhibited two or more strains of bacteria with the most common minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging between 5,0 to 10,0 mg/ml with the exception of aqueous extracts of K. drepanophylla which failed to inhibit all strains of bacteria. The screening of methanol extract of these plants for antioxidant and free radical activity revealed a significant activity with 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical (DPPH). The extracts of P. longifolia, G. capitata, M. capensis, S. cordutum and H. hemerocallidea showed significantly higher free radical scavenging activity with IC50 of ranging from about 11.0 to 41.2 μg/ ml while the IC50 value for K. drepanophylla could not be determined at 100 μg/ ml. Generally the study showed that medicinal plants still play a very important role in the health care delivery system, especially in the O R Tambo and Amathole municipalities of the Eastern Cape. Botanical medicine remains pivotal in the treatment of skin ailments and improvement of the skin tone.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Learnership program's effectiveness at an FET college
- Lekhelebana, Letlatsa George
- Authors: Lekhelebana, Letlatsa George
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Vocational education , Skilled labor -- South Africa , Unemployment -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Universities and colleges -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8870 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020314
- Description: High levels of unemployment and skills shortages in key parts of the South African economy are well documented. The failure of the South African economy to absorb new entrants to the job market is also well documented. The paradox of an economy that was growing for over a decade during the late nineties and early 2000s creating a lot of vacancies and yet at the same time seeing ever growing levels of unemployment numbers also makes for interesting reading. Learnership programs are intended to address this situation by reducing the problem of skills shortages and leading in the human capital development that is aligned to industry needs. Thus is the purpose of this study to determine whether the beneficiaries of the learnership programs, the graduates, find benefit from having completed these learnership programs. It is to evaluate whether they find the program to have been effective in either equipping them sufficiently to improve prospects of finding permanent employment or successfully starting their own businesses. An extensive literature study of the history of the FET and its development, the concept of learnership and legislation and statutes applicable to the sector in South Africa was undertaken so that the skills development initiatives in the country are contextualised. The empirical part of the study involved a self-constructed questionnaire designed to illicit perspectives of the FET training and learnership within the FET graduate population that have completed their studies at an FET institution within Nelson Mandela Bay. The data collected indicate that a substantial majority of the sample find The data collected indicate that a substantial majority of the sample find the training to be effective and confirm the literature findings that learnerships can improve the issue of skills shortage in industry. The study makes recommendations that encompass work-based strategies and training based strategies to further improve the program. The recommendations are targeted at the FET college, the work-place training providers and the MERSETA and are meant solely to assist the organisations in overcoming the identified challenges emanating from learnership implementation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Lekhelebana, Letlatsa George
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Vocational education , Skilled labor -- South Africa , Unemployment -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Universities and colleges -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8870 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020314
- Description: High levels of unemployment and skills shortages in key parts of the South African economy are well documented. The failure of the South African economy to absorb new entrants to the job market is also well documented. The paradox of an economy that was growing for over a decade during the late nineties and early 2000s creating a lot of vacancies and yet at the same time seeing ever growing levels of unemployment numbers also makes for interesting reading. Learnership programs are intended to address this situation by reducing the problem of skills shortages and leading in the human capital development that is aligned to industry needs. Thus is the purpose of this study to determine whether the beneficiaries of the learnership programs, the graduates, find benefit from having completed these learnership programs. It is to evaluate whether they find the program to have been effective in either equipping them sufficiently to improve prospects of finding permanent employment or successfully starting their own businesses. An extensive literature study of the history of the FET and its development, the concept of learnership and legislation and statutes applicable to the sector in South Africa was undertaken so that the skills development initiatives in the country are contextualised. The empirical part of the study involved a self-constructed questionnaire designed to illicit perspectives of the FET training and learnership within the FET graduate population that have completed their studies at an FET institution within Nelson Mandela Bay. The data collected indicate that a substantial majority of the sample find The data collected indicate that a substantial majority of the sample find the training to be effective and confirm the literature findings that learnerships can improve the issue of skills shortage in industry. The study makes recommendations that encompass work-based strategies and training based strategies to further improve the program. The recommendations are targeted at the FET college, the work-place training providers and the MERSETA and are meant solely to assist the organisations in overcoming the identified challenges emanating from learnership implementation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
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