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. 2022 May 30;11(11):1451.
doi: 10.3390/plants11111451.

Ethnobotany and Toxicity Status of Medicinal Plants with Cosmeceutical Relevance from Eastern Cape, South Africa

Ashwell R Ndhlala  1 , Vuyisile S Thibane  2 , Cecilia M Masehla  3 , Phatlane W Mokwala  3
Affiliations

Ethnobotany and Toxicity Status of Medicinal Plants with Cosmeceutical Relevance from Eastern Cape, South Africa

Ashwell R Ndhlala et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

The indigenous people of the Eastern Cape residing within the richest plant biodiversity in the world, including Africa's floral 'gold mine', have a long history of plant use for skincare. However, such rich flora comes with numerous plants that have the potential to cause harm to humans through their usage. Therefore, the study was aimed at documenting the toxicity status of important medicinal plants used by the indigenous people from the Eastern Cape for skincare and supported by literature for cosmeceutical relevance. A list of plants used for skincare was produced following an ethnobotanical survey. In addition, data on the level of toxicity and cosmeceutical relevance of plants listed from the survey were collected from literature resources. The study listed a total of 38 plants from 25 plant families, the majority being represented by the Asphodelaceae and Asteraceae, both at 13.2%. The most preferred plant parts were the leaves (60.4%) indicating sustainable harvesting practices by the community. The literature reports validated 70% of the medicinal plants surveyed for skincare were nontoxic. Most of the plants can be incorporated in the formulation of products intended for skincare due to their low toxicity and high cosmeceutical relevance.

Keywords: cosmeceutical; medicinal plants; natural products; skincare; toxicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age range in percentage (%) of knowledge holders participated in survey.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of plant parts in percentage (%) reported in survey.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Preparation methods in percentage (%) reported in survey.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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