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Medicinal plants and herbs contribute a great deal to the health care system in Africa. These are based on knowledge transmitted as folklore from generation to generation. About 10 percent of the plant species of the world are estimated to be found in southern Africa. But only a few have been commercially exploited based on scientific research. The number of scientific publications as well as patent applications is also increasing.

The local markets sell these medicinal plants to the local inhabitants for their use in health care. These markets are part of the informal economy. However, with increasing demand from industries locally and for exports, the plants are getting commercialized becoming part of the formal economy. The products too are marketed professionally. There is an increase in their demand. Exports of select medicinal plants are increasing along with the popularity that natural remedies are attaining worldwide. Some of these medicinal plants are the main raw materials for production of various products in the pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical and nutraceutical industries. Quite often the products are based on the use or application of the traditional folk knowledge from the African countries. This knowledge are increasingly getting documented and subjected to scientific research. The tribes of Africa are considered to be the main repository of the knowledge which is referred to as traditional knowledge or indigenous knowledge or folklore medicines.

The traditional plant knowledge of southern African people is a source for the development of products. There is a rise in research activities. The recent trend indicates that there is a rush for documenting such knowledge. These ethno-medicinals are marketed globally. Hoodia gordonii is a tender plant from the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa that has grabbed global attention. This has become popular as an appetite suppressant. It is marketed in many forms such as pills, capsules, and shakes. The pure Hoodia gordonii liquid is said to be more powerful than the pills and capsules.

The increasing global market for these products based on medicinal plants from African countries also improves the prospects of export earnings. This could contribute to rise of income levels of the poor in these countries. But the increased collection of these medicinal plants also could lead to the risk of overexploitation of these plants in their natural habitats. To make it sustainable, scientific extraction methods and conservation management practices are to be adopted.

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