Exploring medicinal plants used by South African bush doctor communities for wound healing purposes: a follow-up investigation

Abstract

Traditional medicine is an essential component of healthcare in South Africa, where medicinal plants serve as a primary therapeutic source. Despite the region's rich biodiversity and long history of use, the indigenous knowledge of a small group of traditional “bush doctors” in the Western Cape (WC), including their methods for treating wounds, is poorly documented and at risk of being lost. As a follow-up to previous research, this study aimed to identify, document and analyse the medicinal plants used by practising bush doctors for wound care. The data was analysed to assess plant diversity, dominant families and frequency of use, providing a foundation for preserving indigenous knowledge and supporting future pharmacological validation. Given the small size of this practitioner population, a snowball sampling approach was used to recruit 20 bush doctors in the WC from this established cohort of 32 healers, using a modified protocol. The investigation documented 35 medicinal plant species representing 21 botanical families. The Asphodelaceae family was the most represented, confirming its importance in the regional pharmacopoeia. Species with the highest frequency of citation (FC), reflecting strong clinical relevance, included Aloe ferox (FC=16) and Eucomis autumnalis (FC=13). In contrast, species such as Galenia africana and Xerophyta retinervis had low FC values among participants and remain unexplored in the literature. These findings add great insight into ethnomedicinal knowledge preserved by bush doctors for wound treatment and help safeguard an important record of this endangered cultural heritage. Moreover, this study provides a framework for evaluating the pharmacological potential of both popularly cited and less common plant species used by bush doctors. This targeted approach can accelerate the development of new, evidence-based wound therapies.