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Welcome

The aim of this website is to create an online source of information on the use, quality, efficacy and safety of traditional African medicines in South Africa. The website draws on published resources to provide information, cross referencing and research outputs for use by researchers, community members, traditional healers and a wide range of other global users. The digital pharmacopoeia serves as a national resource mechanism, not only for further research, but also for regulation of the use of traditional medicinal plants and medicine.

The treatment information on the site is linked to the International Classification of Diseases for Medical Purposes (ICD-10) and the WIPO International Patent Classification (IPC) referencing system. Up to date information on the national conservation status of each indigenous plant is provided from the Red List of South African Plants, maintained by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Plant chemical compositions include molecular formulae with relevant links to international databases such as PubChem, CAS, ChemSpider and others.

The website also serves as an archive of published materials relating to early use of traditional medicinal plants in South Africa. These are offered as historical documents for research purposes.