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Papers by Lisa Aston Philander

Human Ecology, Feb 23, 2011

ABSTRACTA better understanding of the relationship between plant specialized metabolism and tradi... more ABSTRACTA better understanding of the relationship between plant specialized metabolism and traditional medicinal use has the potential to aid in bioprospecting and the untangling of cross-cultural plant use patterns. However, given the limited information available for metabolites in most plant species, associating medicinal properties with a metabolite can be difficult. The order Caryophyllales has a unique pattern of lineages of tyrosine- or phenylalanine-dominant specialized metabolism, represented by mutually exclusive anthocyanin and betalain pigments, making the group ideal to work around a lack of detailed knowledge of specific metabolites. We compiled a list of medicinal species in selected tyrosine- or phenylalanine-dominant families of Caryophyllales across the globe (Nepenthaceae, Polygonaceae, Simmondsiaceae, Microteaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Amaranthaceae, Limeaceae, Molluginaceae, Portulacaceae, Cactaceae, and Nyctaginaceae) by searching scientific literature until no ne...

Human Ecology, Mar 25, 2012

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Nov 1, 2011

Aims of this study: This descriptive ethnobiological research is the first documentation of the m... more Aims of this study: This descriptive ethnobiological research is the first documentation of the materials utilized in the pharmacopeia of a novel group of herbalists, Rasta bush doctors, found in the botanically diverse Western Cape of South Africa. This article suggests that medicinal plants used by bush doctors unite the disparate ethnomedicines found in South Africa. Materials and methods: Ethnospecies name and parts used were recorded during detailed inventories of 39 bush doctors. Collection of voucher specimens for botanical identification occurred in 15 locations. Herbal remedies were classified into use categories and were compared to historical ethnobotanical literature to ascertain previous cultural affiliations. Results: There were 205 ethnospecies found in the Rastafari ethnobiology, 181 were used medicinally. Ethnospecies belong to 71 plant families and 71% belonged to six plant families: Rutaceae (13), Asteraceae (13), Apiaceae (9), Lamiaceae (8), Fabaceae (8), and Euphorbiaceae (7). The majority of remedies (49%) were foliage. Medicinal plants treated over 30 ailments including: gastrointestinal symptoms (11%), urogential complaints (11%), skin ailments (9%), and cardiovascular diseases (8%). Bush doctors appropriated remedies traditionally important to Zulu, KhoiSan, European and Xhosa healing traditions. Novel plants and plant utilization were noted for 22 plant species. Conclusions: Use of previously undocumented plant materials as medicinals denote distinct local knowledge including novel Rastafarian utilization of herbs for spiritual and ritual purposes. The range of the largely herbaceous pharmacopeia is narrow compared to the region's highly biodiverse materials and historical records of medicinal use. Bush doctors' experimentation with known herbal remedies illustrates a striking level of cross-cultural adaptation. This syncretic pharmacopeia reflects the cultural diversity of Southern Africa, drawing upon recent invasive species, European influence and traditional herbs used by the KhoiSan, Zulu and Xhosa peoples.

Journal of Ethnobiology, 2012

South Africa’s history of diverse traditional medical practices gives rise to an emergent bush et... more South Africa’s history of diverse traditional medical practices gives rise to an emergent bush ethnomedicine in the Western Cape, where the consumption, trade and sale of herbs are dominated by Rastas. Rastafari, a sociopolitical movement and eco-religion, is combined with Khoisan healing tradition to synthesize an alternative lifestyle to dysfunctional township realities. Bush doctors lead this syncretic movement by gathering knowledge of medicinal plants from community elders. Local plant materials are collected to provide affordable medicines to the disadvantaged. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a third of the estimated 200 bush doctors during 2006–2010. This homogenous group of middle-aged coloured urban males have transformed from gangsters to herbalists with a stated mission ‘‘to heal all people.’’ To the mixed race coloured community, who rejected their Khoisan indigenous ancestry during apartheid, bush medicine reasserts indigenous rights to resources, instills pride in coloured traditions and reclaims positive male roles. Rasta bush doctors employ indigenous healing methods as a method of legitimizing this historically marginalized community. Bush medicine presents a racially equitable socialist platform for health care within the shifting racial milieu in a postapartheid South Africa.

Human Ecology, Feb 23, 2011

Apartheid isolated South Africa economically and politically from the global arena and its citize... more Apartheid isolated South Africa economically and politically from the global arena and its citizens culturally from one another. Post-apartheid policymakers have sought to address prior inequalities in education, health care and employment, concerns central to biodiversity conservation initiatives. This article examines the role of school gardening programs on the distribution and transmission of local phytomedicinal knowledge. Urban Cape Town, an area of high biocultural diversity, presents a unique environment in which to observe cultural distinctions in medicinal plant utilization, the impact of school gardening, and the recent cultural amalgamation in local knowledge transmission. Local healers chose 16 common medicinal plants, which were used to examine fifth and seventh graders' knowledge of local remedies. Results indicate that knowledge of different plants was concentrated in specific ethnic groups and amongst recent migrants. It is proposed that ethnic separation during the apartheid era insulated cultures on socioeconomic and geo-environmental strata, thereby preserving local knowledge. Keywords South African apartheid. School and home gardens. Medicinal plants. Urban biocultural diversity. Local knowledge transmission. Political ecology

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2008

Indigenous medical plants contribute significantly to a large South African population as part of... more Indigenous medical plants contribute significantly to a large South African population as part of a longstanding healthcare system intimately linked to folklore and for livelihood security. For the economically marginalized, access to such plants is largely through herbal markets which are part of an informal economy. Otherwise the formal natural products economy services those with a better socio-economic standing. Recently, the latter has experienced tremendous growth which largely mirrors the global cultural trend for organic naturopathies. Commercialisation of traditional plants and their contribution to the cosmeceutical, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries locally and abroad is reviewed. Traditional plant knowledge of southern African people is a source of inspiration for new product development. Concomitantly, an upsurge in research activities emanating from South Africa which confirms the pharmacological efficacy of these plants is fuelling a greater trust in indigenous flora. The escalating consumption of ethnomedicinals as highly valued commodities not only presents South Africa with socio-economic opportunities but also with challenges. Sustainable utilization benefiting the commodification of ethnoherbals, plus meeting aims of poverty alleviation and people empowerment, is a new paradigm in South Africa. The future sustainability of local ecosystems depends upon scientific conservation management practices that recognize the importance of involving local communities. Conservationists should remain aware and sensitive of socio-cultural dynamics within communities in order to manage natural resources.

Human Ecology, 2011

Apartheid isolated South Africa economically and politically from the global arena and its citize... more Apartheid isolated South Africa economically and politically from the global arena and its citizens culturally from one another. Post-apartheid policymakers have sought to address prior inequalities in education, health care and employment, concerns central to biodiversity conservation initiatives. This article examines the role of school gardening programs on the distribution and transmission of local phytomedicinal knowledge. Urban Cape Town, an area of high biocultural diversity, presents a unique environment in which to observe cultural distinctions in medicinal plant utilization, the impact of school gardening, and the recent cultural amalgamation in local knowledge transmission. Local healers chose 16 common medicinal plants, which were used to examine fifth and seventh graders’ knowledge of local remedies. Results indicate that knowledge of different plants was concentrated in specific ethnic groups and amongst recent migrants. It is proposed that ethnic separation during the apartheid era insulated cultures on socioeconomic and geo-environmental strata, thereby preserving local knowledge.

Lancet

Aims of this study: This descriptive ethnobiological research is the first documentation of the m... more Aims of this study: This descriptive ethnobiological research is the first documentation of the materials utilized in the pharmacopeia of a novel group of herbalists, Rasta bush doctors, found in the botanically diverse Western Cape of South Africa. This article suggests that medicinal plants used by bush doctors unite the disparate ethnomedicines found in South Africa. Materials and methods: Ethnospecies name and parts used were recorded during detailed inventories of 39 bush doctors. Collection of voucher specimens for botanical identification occurred in 15 locations. Herbal remedies were classified into use categories and were compared to historical ethnobotanical literature to ascertain previous cultural affiliations.

South Africa's history of diverse traditional medical practices gives rise to an emergent bush et... more South Africa's history of diverse traditional medical practices gives rise to an emergent bush ethnomedicine in the Western Cape, where the consumption, trade and sale of herbs are dominated by Rastas. Rastafari, a sociopolitical movement and eco-religion, is combined with Khoisan healing tradition to synthesize an alternative lifestyle to dysfunctional township realities. Bush doctors lead this syncretic movement by gathering knowledge of medicinal plants from community elders. Local plant materials are collected to provide affordable medicines to the disadvantaged. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a third of the estimated 200 bush doctors during 2006-2010. This homogenous group of middle-aged coloured urban males have transformed from gangsters to herbalists with a stated mission ''to heal all people.'' To the mixed race coloured community, who rejected their Khoisan indigenous ancestry during apartheid, bush medicine reasserts indigenous rights to resources, instills pride in coloured traditions and reclaims positive male roles. Rasta bush doctors employ indigenous healing methods as a method of legitimizing this historically marginalized community. Bush medicine presents a racially equitable socialist platform for health care within the shifting racial milieu in a postapartheid South Africa.

Human Ecology, Feb 23, 2011

ABSTRACTA better understanding of the relationship between plant specialized metabolism and tradi... more ABSTRACTA better understanding of the relationship between plant specialized metabolism and traditional medicinal use has the potential to aid in bioprospecting and the untangling of cross-cultural plant use patterns. However, given the limited information available for metabolites in most plant species, associating medicinal properties with a metabolite can be difficult. The order Caryophyllales has a unique pattern of lineages of tyrosine- or phenylalanine-dominant specialized metabolism, represented by mutually exclusive anthocyanin and betalain pigments, making the group ideal to work around a lack of detailed knowledge of specific metabolites. We compiled a list of medicinal species in selected tyrosine- or phenylalanine-dominant families of Caryophyllales across the globe (Nepenthaceae, Polygonaceae, Simmondsiaceae, Microteaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Amaranthaceae, Limeaceae, Molluginaceae, Portulacaceae, Cactaceae, and Nyctaginaceae) by searching scientific literature until no ne...

Human Ecology, Mar 25, 2012

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Nov 1, 2011

Aims of this study: This descriptive ethnobiological research is the first documentation of the m... more Aims of this study: This descriptive ethnobiological research is the first documentation of the materials utilized in the pharmacopeia of a novel group of herbalists, Rasta bush doctors, found in the botanically diverse Western Cape of South Africa. This article suggests that medicinal plants used by bush doctors unite the disparate ethnomedicines found in South Africa. Materials and methods: Ethnospecies name and parts used were recorded during detailed inventories of 39 bush doctors. Collection of voucher specimens for botanical identification occurred in 15 locations. Herbal remedies were classified into use categories and were compared to historical ethnobotanical literature to ascertain previous cultural affiliations. Results: There were 205 ethnospecies found in the Rastafari ethnobiology, 181 were used medicinally. Ethnospecies belong to 71 plant families and 71% belonged to six plant families: Rutaceae (13), Asteraceae (13), Apiaceae (9), Lamiaceae (8), Fabaceae (8), and Euphorbiaceae (7). The majority of remedies (49%) were foliage. Medicinal plants treated over 30 ailments including: gastrointestinal symptoms (11%), urogential complaints (11%), skin ailments (9%), and cardiovascular diseases (8%). Bush doctors appropriated remedies traditionally important to Zulu, KhoiSan, European and Xhosa healing traditions. Novel plants and plant utilization were noted for 22 plant species. Conclusions: Use of previously undocumented plant materials as medicinals denote distinct local knowledge including novel Rastafarian utilization of herbs for spiritual and ritual purposes. The range of the largely herbaceous pharmacopeia is narrow compared to the region's highly biodiverse materials and historical records of medicinal use. Bush doctors' experimentation with known herbal remedies illustrates a striking level of cross-cultural adaptation. This syncretic pharmacopeia reflects the cultural diversity of Southern Africa, drawing upon recent invasive species, European influence and traditional herbs used by the KhoiSan, Zulu and Xhosa peoples.

Journal of Ethnobiology, 2012

South Africa’s history of diverse traditional medical practices gives rise to an emergent bush et... more South Africa’s history of diverse traditional medical practices gives rise to an emergent bush ethnomedicine in the Western Cape, where the consumption, trade and sale of herbs are dominated by Rastas. Rastafari, a sociopolitical movement and eco-religion, is combined with Khoisan healing tradition to synthesize an alternative lifestyle to dysfunctional township realities. Bush doctors lead this syncretic movement by gathering knowledge of medicinal plants from community elders. Local plant materials are collected to provide affordable medicines to the disadvantaged. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a third of the estimated 200 bush doctors during 2006–2010. This homogenous group of middle-aged coloured urban males have transformed from gangsters to herbalists with a stated mission ‘‘to heal all people.’’ To the mixed race coloured community, who rejected their Khoisan indigenous ancestry during apartheid, bush medicine reasserts indigenous rights to resources, instills pride in coloured traditions and reclaims positive male roles. Rasta bush doctors employ indigenous healing methods as a method of legitimizing this historically marginalized community. Bush medicine presents a racially equitable socialist platform for health care within the shifting racial milieu in a postapartheid South Africa.

Human Ecology, Feb 23, 2011

Apartheid isolated South Africa economically and politically from the global arena and its citize... more Apartheid isolated South Africa economically and politically from the global arena and its citizens culturally from one another. Post-apartheid policymakers have sought to address prior inequalities in education, health care and employment, concerns central to biodiversity conservation initiatives. This article examines the role of school gardening programs on the distribution and transmission of local phytomedicinal knowledge. Urban Cape Town, an area of high biocultural diversity, presents a unique environment in which to observe cultural distinctions in medicinal plant utilization, the impact of school gardening, and the recent cultural amalgamation in local knowledge transmission. Local healers chose 16 common medicinal plants, which were used to examine fifth and seventh graders' knowledge of local remedies. Results indicate that knowledge of different plants was concentrated in specific ethnic groups and amongst recent migrants. It is proposed that ethnic separation during the apartheid era insulated cultures on socioeconomic and geo-environmental strata, thereby preserving local knowledge. Keywords South African apartheid. School and home gardens. Medicinal plants. Urban biocultural diversity. Local knowledge transmission. Political ecology

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2008

Indigenous medical plants contribute significantly to a large South African population as part of... more Indigenous medical plants contribute significantly to a large South African population as part of a longstanding healthcare system intimately linked to folklore and for livelihood security. For the economically marginalized, access to such plants is largely through herbal markets which are part of an informal economy. Otherwise the formal natural products economy services those with a better socio-economic standing. Recently, the latter has experienced tremendous growth which largely mirrors the global cultural trend for organic naturopathies. Commercialisation of traditional plants and their contribution to the cosmeceutical, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries locally and abroad is reviewed. Traditional plant knowledge of southern African people is a source of inspiration for new product development. Concomitantly, an upsurge in research activities emanating from South Africa which confirms the pharmacological efficacy of these plants is fuelling a greater trust in indigenous flora. The escalating consumption of ethnomedicinals as highly valued commodities not only presents South Africa with socio-economic opportunities but also with challenges. Sustainable utilization benefiting the commodification of ethnoherbals, plus meeting aims of poverty alleviation and people empowerment, is a new paradigm in South Africa. The future sustainability of local ecosystems depends upon scientific conservation management practices that recognize the importance of involving local communities. Conservationists should remain aware and sensitive of socio-cultural dynamics within communities in order to manage natural resources.

Human Ecology, 2011

Apartheid isolated South Africa economically and politically from the global arena and its citize... more Apartheid isolated South Africa economically and politically from the global arena and its citizens culturally from one another. Post-apartheid policymakers have sought to address prior inequalities in education, health care and employment, concerns central to biodiversity conservation initiatives. This article examines the role of school gardening programs on the distribution and transmission of local phytomedicinal knowledge. Urban Cape Town, an area of high biocultural diversity, presents a unique environment in which to observe cultural distinctions in medicinal plant utilization, the impact of school gardening, and the recent cultural amalgamation in local knowledge transmission. Local healers chose 16 common medicinal plants, which were used to examine fifth and seventh graders’ knowledge of local remedies. Results indicate that knowledge of different plants was concentrated in specific ethnic groups and amongst recent migrants. It is proposed that ethnic separation during the apartheid era insulated cultures on socioeconomic and geo-environmental strata, thereby preserving local knowledge.

Lancet

Aims of this study: This descriptive ethnobiological research is the first documentation of the m... more Aims of this study: This descriptive ethnobiological research is the first documentation of the materials utilized in the pharmacopeia of a novel group of herbalists, Rasta bush doctors, found in the botanically diverse Western Cape of South Africa. This article suggests that medicinal plants used by bush doctors unite the disparate ethnomedicines found in South Africa. Materials and methods: Ethnospecies name and parts used were recorded during detailed inventories of 39 bush doctors. Collection of voucher specimens for botanical identification occurred in 15 locations. Herbal remedies were classified into use categories and were compared to historical ethnobotanical literature to ascertain previous cultural affiliations.

South Africa's history of diverse traditional medical practices gives rise to an emergent bush et... more South Africa's history of diverse traditional medical practices gives rise to an emergent bush ethnomedicine in the Western Cape, where the consumption, trade and sale of herbs are dominated by Rastas. Rastafari, a sociopolitical movement and eco-religion, is combined with Khoisan healing tradition to synthesize an alternative lifestyle to dysfunctional township realities. Bush doctors lead this syncretic movement by gathering knowledge of medicinal plants from community elders. Local plant materials are collected to provide affordable medicines to the disadvantaged. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a third of the estimated 200 bush doctors during 2006-2010. This homogenous group of middle-aged coloured urban males have transformed from gangsters to herbalists with a stated mission ''to heal all people.'' To the mixed race coloured community, who rejected their Khoisan indigenous ancestry during apartheid, bush medicine reasserts indigenous rights to resources, instills pride in coloured traditions and reclaims positive male roles. Rasta bush doctors employ indigenous healing methods as a method of legitimizing this historically marginalized community. Bush medicine presents a racially equitable socialist platform for health care within the shifting racial milieu in a postapartheid South Africa.