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Natural resources used as folk cosmeceuticals among rural communities in Vhembe district municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Skin-related diseases affect every individual irrespective of age, gender or social status. Since time immemorial, humans have explored natural resources from their environment for the maintenance of the skin. This explorative survey was conducted to document the natural resources (plant and non-plant materials) used for folk cosmeceuticals by rural communities in Vhembe district municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa. METHODS:The research was conducted in six communities namely: Tshakuma, Shigalo, Tshamutilikwa, Luvhimbi (Masikhwa), Khakhanwa, and Folovhodwe in Vhembe district. Random and convenient sampling was used to access the target population. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to interview 71 participants that comprised traditional practitioners, herbalists and laypeople from the study area. Collected data were analysed using both quantitative (for e.g. frequency, use-value and relative frequency of citation) and qualitative (thematic) analytical methods. RESULTS:A total of 52 plants from 27 families and 22 non-plant materials were used as folk cosmeceuticals in the study area. The most cited plants included Dicerocaryum zanguebarium (Pedaliaceae), Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae) and Helinus integrifolius (Rhamnaceae). Trees and shrubs were the most common plant-life form while leaves were the most popular plant part. Pig fats, red ochre (Luvhundi soil) and ashes were the most cited non-plant materials. These documented natural resources are frequently prepared by crushing and mostly used to heal wounds. CONCLUSION:Traditional knowledge concerning folk cosmeceuticals is mostly held by elders. The high number of natural resources documented is an indication that Vhembe district is rich in ethnopharmacological knowledge. Scientific investigation of the efficacies and safety of these natural resources is highly recommended as a drive aimed at innovations with benefits to the rural communities who are the custodians of this valuable knowledge.

SUBMITTER: Setshego MV

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7076813 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Natural resources used as folk cosmeceuticals among rural communities in Vhembe district municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa.

Setshego Mamokete Venolia MV Aremu Adeyemi Oladapo AO Mooki Obakeng O Otang-Mbeng Wilfred W

BMC complementary medicine and therapies 20200312 1

<h4>Background</h4>Skin-related diseases affect every individual irrespective of age, gender or social status. Since time immemorial, humans have explored natural resources from their environment for the maintenance of the skin. This explorative survey was conducted to document the natural resources (plant and non-plant materials) used for folk cosmeceuticals by rural communities in Vhembe district municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa.<h4>Methods</h4>The research was conducted in six com ...[more]

PMID: 32164701

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Project description:Identification of livestock farmers' breeding practices and morphological characterization of livestock are the important first steps to the successful implementation of any breeding programme. Community-based breeding programme (CBBP) has gained attention as a promising method for the genetic improvement of livestock but lacks information on donkey breeding. The study was conducted to identify donkey farmers' breeding practices and donkey morphological characterization in three purposely selected villages (Thorne, Archibalt and Genau) located in Blouberg Local Municipality, Limpopo province of South Africa. Questionnaire survey method was used to collect the data from twenty-one donkey farmers while body weight and seventeen morphological traits were measured for the morphological characterization from seventy-four donkeys. Descriptive statistics and index values were computed to describe donkey breeding practices. Chi-square statistics were used to compare categorical variables among villages. General Linear Model procedure was used to compare morphological characteristics of donkeys among villages. The results revealed that there was no statistical different (P>0.05) observed on socio-economic characteristics of donkey farmers except on education level (P<0.05) among villages. Purpose of keeping donkeys, type of donkey breed kept, donkey coat colours, mating systems, reasons for culling, mating seasons and selection criterions were not significantly different (P>0.05) among villages. The most common trait preferences of donkey farmers among the surveyed villages were body size and growth rate in breeding males while in breeding females were body size, twining ability and mothering ability. The results indicated that in all the eighteen measured traits only four showed a significant difference (P<0.05) among the villages and some were significantly correlated with body weight (P<0.05). The results of this study will serves as basis for the development and implementation of CBBPs for donkey farmers at Blouberg Local Municipality of South Africa.

Dataset Information

Natural resources used as folk cosmeceuticals among rural communities in Vhembe district municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa.

Publications

Natural resources used as folk cosmeceuticals among rural communities in Vhembe district municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa.

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