First clinical trial of African traditional medicine

The International Center for Indigenous Phytotherapy Studies (TICIPS) will study the safety and efficacy of some of the thousands of indigenous plant species in South Africa used by traditional healers. The project is a collaborative research effort between the University of Missouri-Columbia, USA, and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. The centre will be funded by a US$4.4 million, 4-year grant from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicines (NCCAM). South Africa is home to more than 200 000 traditional healers who care for more than 27 million people. The centre’s first projects will examine two plants used widely in South Africa. One of those projects will investigate whether Lessertia frutescens (Sutherlandia) is safe in HIV-infected patients and prevents wasting. Other projects will focus on Artemisia afra, which is widely used to treat respiratory infections. There is suggestive evidence that A. afra might be useful in treating tuberculosis, which will be explored by TIC IPS researchers. Another project will examine the plant’s potential for preventing or treating cervical cancer.

<http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/91058.php>, accessed February 22, 2008