Professor Namrita Lall, NRF/DSI Research chair for Plant Health Products from Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), which forms part of the NRF’s South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI), hosted a prestigious event on 15 November 2022 showcasing the most recent achievements resulting from her medicinal plant sciences research group.

The event included showcasing the recent publication of a book edited by Prof Lall (Medicinal Plants for Cosmetics, Health and Diseases), the founding of a new society (African Phytomedicine Scientific Society) and the commercialisation of Limunone, a complementary medicine with liver protecting and immune-boosting properties.

Prof Lall is one of the founders of the Medicinal Plant Sciences programme at UP and heads a research team of approximately 20 postgraduate students and three postdoctoral researchers. Her research team focuses on the scientific validation of traditionally used medicinal plants to develop cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical products for commercialising.

Numerous delegates from academic institutions, manufacturers and formulators in the natural product industry (BioMedical Emporium, Blyde Botanics, Botanica Natural Products/Timola, Zuplex, Kalahari Lifestyle, Private Label Brands, Botanichem, Dr PHYTO Medicinal Plants, Letago Pharmaceuticals), government departments (Department of Trade and Industry, Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa and the South African National Convention Bureau), funders (Water Research Commission and Department of Science and Innovation) and the event sponsor, The Scientific Group, attended the event.

Prof Lall shared her research interests and her journey from the publication of her first book in 2018 to the publication of her most recent release, which forms part of a four-book series focused on medicinal plants and their uses. This recent release describes human diseases and how plant bio-actives can aid their prevention, treatment and management. One of her books was recommended by Choice Review as course material for undergraduate and postgraduate students at Western Illinois University, USA. The books are available for purchase directly from her administrative assistant ([email protected]) and can also be found on the publisher’s websites.

During these presentations, Prof Lall took the opportunity to share three future events that she is involved with, including the Volkswagen Summer School in March 2023, funded by the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA) and Volkswagen Stiftung Organization. The second one is the 23^rd International Congress for the International Society for Ethnopharmacology (ISE) in October 2024, an event she is organising as president-elect of the Society. Lastly, the 1^st Annual Congress for the APSS will take place next year in September.

The launch of the African Phytomedicine Scientific Society (APSS) was a hot topic at the event, with Dr Ibukun Michael Famuyide, a postdoctoral researcher from the Onderstepoort Campus, highlighting the crucial role that the society will play in increasing networking, collaboration and brainstorming on the African continent and proudly offering to become its first member. The society will allow for sharing of research equipment, and skills transfer through student exchange programmes to produce quality scientific publications with commercial potential.

The programme also included fascinating talks from manufacturers, formulators and entrepreneurs within the natural product industry, who all highlighted the need for safer and more effective African ingredients to reach the global markets.

One of the event’s other highlights was the launch of the complementary medicine, Limunone. Letago Pharmaceuticals, under the leadership of CEO Dr Portia Hlako Matamela, are commercialising this product. Dr Matamela mentioned her passion for indigenous knowledge associated with medicines developed from a medicinal plant, which her herbalist grandmother sparked. Limunone contains an extract of Euclea natalensis, an active ingredient patented by the UP and licensed to Letago Pharmaceuticals. This plant is used traditionally to treat symptoms associated with chest problems.

“I am particularly excited to see that, in addition to the Limunone product, other active ingredients from her research were available in finished formulations and were exhibited by BioMedical Emporium and Dr PHYTO Medicinal Plants. I hope the event will encourage other formulators to purchase these actives, which are available from Blyde Botanics (https://blydebotanics.com/) and Botanica Natural Products/Timola (https://botanica.africa/) and also encourage additional licensees to take the technologies and prototypes that have been developed through her research to the market. These include medicinal plant extracts or actives with finished formulations for several applications including skin hyper- and hypopigmentation, acne, wrinkle reduction, skin hydration, sun protection boosting properties and oral care,” Prof Lall concluded.

Should you wish to contact Prof Lall, click here.

Contact details of the African Phytomedicine Scientific Society (APSS) network:

Twitter - @theAPSSnetwork

LinkedIn - The APSS Network

Gmail - [email protected]