Prosopis juliflora

Proposis juliflora is a shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae. It has since been renamed to Neltuma juliflora. It is native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. The plant is now an invasive weed in Africa, Asia and Australia. 

Acanthus pubescens

Acanthus pubescens belongs to the Acanthaceae family. It is native to East Africa especially Uganda. It is a large shrub like perennial herb.

Bushman's Secret

 

For over 140000 years the Bushman developed unique knowledge that enabled them to survive in the unforgiving terrain of the Kalahari Desert. It is intriguing to learn that the Khoisan who had been looked down upon for a long time has recently attracted several pharmaceutical companies in the search for remedies where conventional drugs are failing. This documentary unravels the injustices shrouded therein.

The Power of Herbs

 

In this documentary, Professor Kathy Sykes from Bristol University takes a new look at herbs and interrogates whether they have the healing powers that they have been believed to possess for a long time. At the beginning of the film we see a baby called Isha Mistri. She was born with eczema. Her condition has been getting worse as she grows older-it has covered her entire body skin. Her mother is tending to her. She rubs her itching body to ease her of the pain. It is evidently unbearable on the small girl. To control the itching she is dressed with special clothes that cover her entire body. Her parents have tried conventional medicine to no avail. Her father informs this documentary that her daughter’s condition has been traumatic for their family. He says they have abandoned conventional medicine and are now trying herbs in the hope that it works out.

Carpobrotus edulis

Carpobrotus edulis is a perennial herb which possesses green leaves that are tapered at the tip with a red tint on them. It yields a sweet smelling fruit which contains numerous small sized seeds that are brown in color and edible pulp. The natural habitat for Carpobrotus edulis is along the dry river banks and coastal bed of Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa. 

Sclerocarya birrea

The common names of the plant include marula and cider in English, umganu among the Zulu tribe in South Africa and maroela in Afrikaans. It grows to become a tall or medium size tree which is deciduous and bears fleshy fruits which are nearly spherical in shape and is yellow when ripe. The tree produces aqueous latex. Sclerocarya birrea is abundant in the woodlands and bushes of South Africa. 

Euclea natalensis

Euclea natalensis is commonly known as Natal guarri in English. Among the Venda of South Africa it is called mutanqale while it is fondly called Natalghwarrie among the Afrikaners also of South Africa. It usually grows into a shrub or a small tree of medium size with dark green leaves which usually have a covering of woolly hairs on the lower surface. It produces spherical berries which are red in color when mature. Euclea natalensis inhabits a variety of ecological habitats in South Africa ranging from the coastal bushes to areas about 1000 m above sea level.