South African Traditional Medicines Research Unit

Prof. Peter Smith, Acting Director
E-mail: psmith@uctgsh1.uct.ac.za

The Medical Research Council Traditional Medicines Research Unit was founded in 1997 and its principal objectives are:

• to establish a research culture, and to introduce modern research methodologies around the use and understanding of traditional medicines; and
• to create an environment that will attract young scientists and potential leaders in the field.

Tracking the active compounds of traditional medicines against malaria are
(fltr) Dr Niresh Bhagwandin, Gilbert Motlalepula Matsabisa, Sibongile Pefile and Prof. Peter Folb.
Seated in front is Sindiswa Luwaca

Corrective action is critical and central to our thinking and commitment in this endeavour.

In the longer term, the research unit has even harder objectives, which are:

• to develop a series of patents for promising new entities derived from medicinal plants by developing potential new drugs to the point of proof of concept; and
• creating special opportunities for development of this scientific field in Southern Africa.

We also intend to develop, to the best of our capacity, strong and sustained links with other institutions in South Africa, Africa, and beyond.

The UCT Department of Pharmacology is involved in the development of new anti-tuberculosis drugs and this work links closely with the Medical Research Council tuberculosis programme.

As with any other research programme, research into traditional medicines cannot take place without access to the necessary published and unpublished information. And traditional medicines research in Africa is particularly disadvantaged in this regard.

Our efforts to establish a reliable and comprehensive database of Southern African traditional medicines were boosted by the successful bid by the MRC, made in conjunction with department of pharmacology and others, to the national Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST) for funding for the acquisition of the necessary information technology.

We have consequently constructed a usable and valuable information database which should fulfil an all-Africa service function for research and policy in the field of traditional medicines.

Among our efforts in this regard are the following:

• Sensitisation of indigenous communities to the value of their knowledge and of legislators to the need to regulate the proper use of medicinal plants.
• Creation of other intellectual knowledge practices which can be applied to indigenous plant research.
• Regularly updating healers on research progress and making the facilities at the unit available to them.
• An emphasis on the need for the medical research environment to acknowledge and respect traditional methods of healing, and an increased awareness among western practitioners of the benefits of integrating the two health systems. We encourage Interaction with healers to make possible harmonisation of health systems, particularly in settings where there is a shortage of health professionals and where traditional beliefs are strong.
• Advancement of pharmacological research and drug development by enlisting the assistance of peoples highly experienced in the field of traditional medicinal plants.
• Establishment of a computer knowledge network system addressing indigenous health knowledge.
• Establishment of a basis for a centre of excellence in the area of traditional medicines that will serve the Southern African community at large. (We have encouraged collaboration with traditional healers throughout South Africa and a publication entitled The South African Primary Health Care Handbook Combining Western and Traditional Practices, has ensued from successful collaboration with traditional healers throughout South Africa.)

It is hoped that the activities of the South African Traditional Medicines Research Unit will add value to national - and ultimately to global - intellectual knowledge systems policy.