Medicinal plants in the Kruger National Park
It’s the end of winter in Phalaborwa. The change of season in our little town is remarkably sudden; simply one morning you wake up and the crisp air of winter has been replaced by something barmier and less biting. Then you realise that the first indicators of summer are here – the fresh white blossoms of the knob thorn trees and Yellow-billed Kites hovering and swooping over the R40 on the outskirts of town.
Getting to know the natural environment’s intricate layers should be the goal of every lover of the Kruger National Park, indeed lovers of nature. One’s interest in wildlife usually starts with ticking off the Big 5 but it may take a few more years and numerous trips to the Lowveld for this interest to widen. So often though, all things botanical are the neglected science yet there is so much to know about the vegetation that makes up your favourite bush getaway.
I find the medicinal uses of bushveld plants quite fascinating and for years when guiding did I make use of this topic when interpreting the bush to my guests. And it must be said that this subject is one without bounds and so forgiveness must be asked for upfront for the reductive nature of this short blog. Nonetheless, allow me to provide a brief inculcation in the hope that the seed may be planted.
We all know the marula tree, don’t we? We all know that we find it in abundance in the Kruger Park and that the marula fruit is used to make Amarula cream liqueur. Beyond that, what else do we know? (Please don’t say that elephants get drunk from over-indulging on the fruit!) Marula fruits certainly are that delicious that we make inimitable Amarula from it. But did you know that they contain three times the vitamin-C content than oranges? Furthermore, the moist inner bark when peeled from the bole makes an effective antihistamine. I’ve seen a colleague break out in an insufferable rash after suspecting that a hairy caterpillar had fallen down his shirt. His tracker, whose mother was a traditional healer, cut the requisite inner bark for him and after rubbing it on the irritated area provided almost instantaneous relief.
The large leaf fever-berry, found in great abundance along the Letaba and Olifants Rivers in the Kruger, is known for its ability to treat fever. An account published in 1899 recorded that an elderly prospector in the area claimed to have been cured of malaria by a benevolent traditional healer who prescribed the seeds and bark to him. The root of the large-leafed false thorn can be used as an enema and a purgative and its leaves and bark are used to soothe headaches. Sore eyes and skin diseases can be treated alike with an infusion of its bark.
The camphor bush, as its name will imply, provides an effective remedy for blocked sinuses and fractious headaches when the smoke from burning green branches are inhaled. Chest pains and asthma can be ministered with a hot poultice made from its leaves.
There are some excellent reference books available for those who wish to delve further into this absorbing topic. Better knowledge of the vegetation you encounter during your Kruger pilgrimages will only enhance your understanding of the bush and you’ll no doubt be rewarded for it. I’d be happy to recommend reference material on the medicinal and other uses of our bushveld plants. Please drop me a line at da**@bu*************.za. Enjoy the spring.
