The University of Pretoria’s (UP) Division of Medicinal Plant Sciences in the Department of Plant and Soil
Sciences recently organised and hosted a joint meeting of the 23rd international congress of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology (ISE) and the second international congress of the African Phytomedicine Scientific Society (APSS).

The ISE-APSS 2024 congress, which took place at the end of October at the Cape Town International
Convention Centre, highlighted natural product research that is based on ethnobotanical practices and
informed by indigenous knowledge, and being conducted at South African institutions as well asthose in other African countries, including Cameroon, Nigeria, Swaziland and Uganda. The event also aimed to stimulate cross-continental collaborations. Under the theme ‘The Footprint of Ethnopharmacology in Drug Discovery’, the congress focused discussions on current topics and future trajectories of research on traditional systems of medicine and the role of natural products in modern drug discovery.

In her welcoming address, congress host and chairperson Professor Namrita Lall – President of the ISE and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)-National Research Foundation (NRF) SARChI Chair in Plant Health Products from Indigenous Knowledge Systems – detailed the historical significance and importance of traditional medicines, and the rich floral biodiversity in South Africa that is waiting to be discovered.

“Medicinal plants have played a significant and immeasurable role in healthcare for centuries, offering a rich
source of natural phytochemicals with therapeutic properties,” she said. “Their importance lies not only in
their profound historical use, but also in their immense potential for modern drug discovery and development.

“The Cape Floristic Region is home to more than 9 000 plant species and is one of the world’s biodiversity
hotspots, which, in addition to its monumental geological structures and formations, ensures that it forms
part of one of the richest collections of nature’s bountiful beauty,” Prof Lall added. “We encourage you to
explore this wondrous landscape and dedicate some of your time here to indulge in its captivating abundance.”

She went on to encourage and highlight the importance of collaboration in the multidisciplinary field of
ethnopharmacology.

Congress host and chairperson, Prof. Namrita Lalladdresses attendees during the gala dinner.

About 300 delegates from 22 countries were in attendance at the four-day event, which featured local and
internationalspeakers,several exhibition standsshowcasing equipment related to the advancement of natural
product research, as well as formulated products by small, medium and micro enterprises that were funded
through initiatives of the DSI and the Technology Innovation Agency. Exhibitors included representatives from Inqaba Biotec, Labotec, the Bruno Steiner Laboratory Consultancy, Botlhale Ba Rrammutla Farms and Dr Phyto Medicinal Plants.

In his address, Prof Sunil Maharaj, UP’s Vice-Principal for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education, referred to the role of natural resources in the development of potential therapies and the importance of collaboration in the field of ethnopharmacology.

“There is a pressing need for natural alternatives and, considering the fact that a multitude of conventional
pharmaceuticals have been developed from natural product scaffolds, exploration of this avenue provides a
much-needed opportunity to circumvent the challenges of crippling conventional therapies,” he said. “I urge
you to seize this extraordinary opportunity to network, learn and inspire one another. Let us harness our
collective wisdom and expertise to forge new pathways towards innovation and discovery.”

Underpinning the congress wasthe idea of integrating indigenous knowledge systemsinto national healthcare frameworks. Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medical systems are integrated into the national health systems of China and India, respectively, according to an article by Chabalala et al (2021). However, due to a lack of systematisation frameworks, this is not the case for African traditional medicines in Africa. The article refers to the DSI’s transdisciplinary model, which aims to integrate indigenous African knowledge systems as the basis of all knowledge production and utilisation within the national system of innovation. It would do this by promoting integral research and development using a multisectoral and decolonial ‘Africological’ approach to inform inclusive innovation, whereby ‘wisdom keepers’ would be considered equal partners in the scientific system.

Prof. Sunil Maharaj delivers his welcome address during the opening ceremony of the ISE-APSS 2024.

Prof Vinesh Maharaj, Deputy Dean of UP’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, delivered a plenary
address entitled ‘South African plants as a panacea to health challenges: Insights on a collaborative endeavour exploring thisresource in search of treatment regimens.’ In it, he described the generation of a natural product library to house extracts, fractions and compounds that could be used in the fight against several diseases, including drug-resistant bacterial infections, HIV, neglected tropical diseases, cancer and diabetes.

Prof Dave Berger, Head of UP’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, delivered a lecture about his research on indigenous Greyia species, which are being developed for the cosmetic industry to be used as an ingredient to even out skin tone. His talk described a molecular tool to differentiate between Greyia radlkoferi, G. flanaganii and G. sutherlandii, which have varying degrees of biological activity against the target enzyme tyrosinase.

Other speakers included Prof Vanessa Steenkamp, Deputy Dean of Teaching and Learning in UP’s Faculty of Health Sciences; Prof Debra Meyer, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at Sol Plaatje University; APSS Director Prof Learnmore Kambizi; Prof Alvaro Viljoen, DSI-NRF SARChI Chair of Phytomedicine at the Tshwane University of Technology; Dr Godwin Anywar of Makerere University, Uganda; and Prof Cassandra Quave of Emory University in the US.

The congress also featured performances by the Cape minstrels, gumboot dancers from the Happy Feet Youth Project, African fusion dancers and by one of the event’s delegates, Dr Wilson Bamise Adeosun of North-West University, who played the alto saxophone to welcome guests to the gala dinner.

Several exhibitions at the ISE-APSS 2024.