Africa has an extraordinary wealth of knowledge about the medicinal uses of plants. But this has been undervalued, dismissed as folklore, or extracted without proper recognition or compensation for too long, says Professor Mthokozisi Simelane, from the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
A new approach is required. Communities should benefit from medicinal products developed based on their traditional knowledge. Also, their knowledge must be preserved for future generations, he adds.
Prof Simelane was speaking at his professorial inauguration at the UJ Kingsway Campus on Monday 24 August. He is a researcher based in the Department of Biochemistry within the Faculty of Science.
“Our continent is home to over 45,000 plant species, many of which are used in traditional medicine. This represents a pharmacopoeia that pharmaceutical companies around the world would spend billions to access,” he says.
“For centuries, African communities have relied on medicinal plants to manage disease. This knowledge was developed through careful observation, experience, and intergenerational learning. Long before modern pharmacology existed, traditional healers were conducting what we would today recognise as empirical experimentation. They observed which plants worked, which combinations were effective, which doses were safe, and which seasons yielded the most potent harvests.
“Unfortunately, this knowledge has often been overlooked or exploited. The Hoodia case, where a plant used by San communities for appetite suppression was commercialised without adequate benefit-sharing, reminds us that indigenous communities have not always shared fairly in the benefits arising from their knowledge.
“Scientific advancement should never occur at the expense of the communities that have safeguarded this knowledge,” he adds.
Backyard plants versus laboratories
Prof Simelane grew up in a small community practicing herbal medicine. Healing from plants was a daily reality in his childhood home.
“My academic journey began with a fascination for how nature produces molecules capable of treating disease,” he says.
“I remember as a young student being captivated by the idea that a plant, growing quietly in someone’s backyard, could contain compounds more powerful than anything synthesized in a laboratory. The intersection between what my grandmother knew and what my textbooks would later teach me, is where my research vision was born.”
His career has been guided by the remarkable opportunities created when indigenous knowledge and modern science work together to solve pressing global health challenges, he says.
“My own research journey began with a simple question: What if we took the knowledge that communities have preserved for generations and subjected it to rigorous scientific investigation?
“What if we could validate traditional claims, isolate active compounds, and develop them into medicines that could benefit not just those communities, but people around the world?”
In the decades since, he has come to appreciate that some of the world’s most valuable scientific discoveries begin not in sophisticated laboratories, but within communities that have preserved medicinal knowledge for generations, he adds.
“The story of artemisinin, discovered through the analysis of traditional Chinese medicine, reminds us that indigenous knowledge systems have the potential to yield Nobel Prize-winning discoveries.”
From plant molecules to medicinal products
Prof Simelane and his research group focus on transforming traditional medicinal knowledge into scientifically validated healthcare solutions.
They have investigated numerous indigenous medicinal plants with activity against malaria and diabetes, two of the most pressing health challenges facing Africa. Malaria continues to claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year, disproportionately affecting children and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Through our studies, we have identified compounds such as betulinic acid, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, and iso-mukaadial acetate. Betulinic acid has demonstrated promising activity against malaria parasites.
“Ursolic acid and oleanolic acid have shown potential in managing diabetes through various mechanisms,” says Prof Simelane.
“Working with industry partners and innovation agencies, we have translated laboratory discoveries into practical products. One example is the development of a plant-based complementary medicine for diabetes.
“However, we have not yet developed a cure for malaria or diabetes, nor brought a new plant-based complementary medicinal product to market. What we have done is contributed to the foundational research that will eventually lead to those outcomes.”
From traditional knowledge to equitable community share
Perhaps the most exciting development of his career is establishing an Indigenous Knowledge Innovation Platform in a rural village in KwaZulu-Natal, he says. The village preserves traditional knowledge about a threatened medicinal plant featured in Prof Simelane’s research.
“The platform represents a new model of university-community partnership. What makes this initiative distinctive is its commitment to equitable benefit-sharing. When a product is developed, the community that contributed the knowledge receives a share of the benefits. This might take the form of royalties, community development projects, or capacity-building initiatives,” he adds.
“The future of African science will not be defined by the resources we lack, but by the knowledge we value, the partnerships we build, and the courage to transform discovery into lasting impact,” concludes Prof Simelane.
