An ethnobotanical survey investigating medicinal plants used by Cape bush doctors to treat dermatophyte infections

Abstract

Introduction: Over the past few years, the incidence of dermatophyte infections has increased at an alarming rate. The treatment for these infections is becoming more difficult especially because fungal pathogens have developed resistance to conventional treatments. The Cape Metropole region in South Africa has an abundance of plant species and is the residence of herbalists, called Cape bush doctors who use some of these diverse plants to treat various skin-related conditions. There are limited ethnobotanical studies that have been conducted on the medicinal plants they use to treat dermatophyte infections. Therefore, this study aimed to report on the knowledge and practices of Cape bush doctors concerning their use of medicinal plants for treating dermatophyte infections. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was performed using an interview-based questionnaire to investigate (1) the knowledge of bush doctors regarding skin infections, (2) the practices of bush doctors along with the medicinal plants used when treating fungal skin infections, and (3) selected plants identified with potential anti-fungal activity in vitro, were further explored to assess their application in the treatment of fungal infections by bush doctors. Results: Participants confirmed the use of the fifteen selected medicinal plants identified in the literature. Additionally, twenty other plant species were mentioned as having antifungal properties. Most plants reported belonged to the Xanthorrhoeaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, and Rutaceae families. Conclusion: This study shows that bush doctors use a vast array of plant species to treat dermatophyte conditions. This indicates the diversity of medicinal plant species used and that these doctors associated indigenous knowledge is of great value. Therapeutic uses of the documented plants provide data for further pharmacological studies.

Keywords

• Dermatophyte infections
• Medicinal plants
• Bush doctors
• Ethnobotanical studies
• Western Cape
• South Africa