Indigenous Medicinal Herbs For Winter Ailments

How to use medicinal herbs Most herbalists caution that herbs are not a silver bullet. Herbs help to support and strengthen the body’s own systems and ability to heal itself, restore balance and ultimately health. Using fresh or dried leaves in a tea or tincture is usually the safest way to administer herbs.

The use of herbs as medicinal plants goes back centuries, and that includes our own indigenous medicinal herbs. Starting with the Khoisan, herbs like wormwood (Artemisia afra), the cancer bush (Sutherlandia frutescens or Lessertia frutescens), wild rosemary (Eriocephalus africanus) and bulbinella (Bulbine frutescens) have a long history within all indigenous societies, used for treating winter-related ailments, healing wounds and building immunity.

Herb gardeners may be more familiar with herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley and garlic as winter healing herbs, but there is a fascinating world of medicinal plants on our doorstep waiting to be discovered.

According to Medicinal Plants of South Africa by Ben-Erik van Wyk, Bosch van Oudtshoorn and Nigel Gericke (Briza), there are some 3 000 species of plants that are used medicinally in South Africa, and of these 350 are commonly used and traded as medicinal plants.

The Briza book is an invaluable guide to this world, giving detailed information on each medicinal plant as well as a list of plants according to ailments. Another resource is SANBI’s PlantZAfrica website, which celebrates the plants of Southern Africa (www.pza.sanbi.org)

Not all of our indigenous medicinal plants are easily available, unless you like hiking though the veld and know your plants. That said, more are finding their way into garden centres, onto herb stands and into indigenous nurseries to satisfy adventurous herb growers.

Good to know when to use medicinal herbs

Medicinal herbs should not replace medical treatment. Pregnant women and people suffering from chronic or serious conditions should first consult their doctor.