Afrigetics acknowledges that the The San Bushmen are the original knowledge holders of botanical medicines in Southern Africa.
Who are the San? (From WIMSA website)

The San, ‘Bushmen’ or Basarwa are the living descendants of the first populations that inhabited in southern Africa over 20,000 years ago. They are famous the world over for their distinctive ‘click’ languages (see box), their rich culture rooted in thousands of years of hunting and gathering, and their unrivalled knowledge of the lands they inhabit. Despite all this, they are also among the most disadvantaged people in the region. History Until very recently, most San were hunter-gatherers, using their exceptional knowledge of local flora and fauna to subsist in some the world’s most inhospitable lands, including the Kalahari Desert. Who are the San? The San, ‘Bushmen’ or Basarwa are the living descendants of the first populations that inhabited in southern Africa over 20,000 years ago. They are famous the world over for their distinctive ‘click’ languages (see box), their rich culture rooted in thousands of years of hunting and gathering, and their unrivalled knowledge of the lands they inhabit. Despite all this, they are also among the most disadvantaged people in the region. History Until very recently, most San were hunter-gatherers, using their exceptional knowledge of local flora and fauna to subsist in some the world’s most inhospitable lands, including the Kalahari Desert. People lived in bands of 10 to 40 people, which contrary to popular stereotypes occupied well defined territories, where they the had access to water, plant foods, game, and other resources. With no centralised leadership structures, decisions were made by consensus. Material possessions were distributed on an egalitarian basis, and men and women, though they had different roles, were treated as equals. There was no sense of collective San identity. Rather, communities labelled themselves by local groupings, which were usually based on linguistic differences. The extent to which San were reliant solely on hunting and gathering and how much they interacted with other groups is still being debated and documented by anthropologists, but there is no doubt that the traditional way of life has all but come to an end in most parts of southern Africa. With the expansion of socially dominant African groups as well as European settlers and their farming economies, San communities were dispossessed of vast tracts of their traditional lands. Gradually, they were either pushed towards the margins of their ancestral territories, or incorporated into the new social order as impoverished landless labourers. In the wake of this upheaval, some communities lost languages, cultural practices and important pieces of indigenous knowledge and many became riddled by social problems. The present day 100 000 San, belonging to more than 13 different language groups, continue to live in the southern African region. The vast majority of these are in Botswana and Namibia, whose populations number 46 000 and 38 000 respectively. In Angola there are 7000 San and in South Africa there are 6000. Zambia and Zimbabwe also contain small San communities numbering just a few hundred. People lived in bands of 10 to 40 people, which contrary to popular stereotypes occupied well defined territories, where they the had access to water, plant foods, game, and other resources. With no centralised leadership structures, decisions were made by consensus. Material possessions were distributed on an egalitarian basis, and men and women, though they had different roles, were treated as equals. There was no sense of collective San identity. Rather, communities labelled themselves by local groupings, which were usually based on linguistic differences. The extent to which San were reliant solely on hunting and gathering and how much they interacted with other groups is still being debated and documented by anthropologists, but there is no doubt that the traditional way of life has all but come to an end in most parts of southern Africa. With the expansion of socially dominant African groups as well as European settlers and their farming economies, San communities were dispossessed of vast tracts of their traditional lands. Gradually, they were either pushed towards the margins of their ancestral territories, or incorporated into the new social order as impoverished landless labourers. In the wake of this upheaval, some communities lost languages, cultural practices and important pieces of indigenous knowledge and many became riddled by social problems. The present day 100 000 San, belonging to more than 13 different language groups, continue to live in the southern African region. The vast majority of these are in Botswana and Namibia, whose populations number 46 000 and 38 000 respectively. In Angola there are 7000 San and in South Africa there are 6000. Zambia and Zimbabwe also contain small San communities numbering just a few hundred.

Afrigetics on Nutraingredients.com, 14 March 2012

South African immunity herb winning new community

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Industry/South-African-immunity-herb-winning-new-community

THE deal between the world’s biggest food company, Nestlé, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for the use of indigenous plants and micro organisms in the manufacture of food, would be sensitive to local ownership rights, the CSIR said yesterday.

The CSIR ran into trouble with the licensing of hoodia gordonii, a succulent plant used by the San as an appetite suppressant, and eventually negotiated a benefit-sharing deal with the San in 2010. The CSIR began investigating hoodia in 1963, but it hit international headlines several years ago when the San discovered the CSIR had isolated the active ingredient in the plant and licensed the development rights to UK-based pharmaceutical development company Phytopharm.

Joe Molete, director of the CSIR biosciences group, said the CSIR was not concerned that history would repeat itself as it had done with hoodia gordonii and some other indigenous plants.

“We have learnt from the experience and have a better way of engaging with communities and sharing benefits,” he said. “You have to specify how you’re going to share the benefits.”

The partnership aims to research indigenous plants and micro-organisms for their application in the food industry.

CSIR CEO Sibusiso Sibisi said on Monday: “New products developed through this collaboration will be manufactured in SA in compliance with international standards, leading to the development of new skills and ultimately the creation of jobs in the biosciences industry.”

The partnership would also expose CSIR scientists to international technologies in the field of nutraceuticals, functional foods with demonstrated health benefits, he said.

The CSIR and Nestlé had not yet specified the extent of funding, how many scientists would work on the project and what plants and micro-organisms would be studied, Dr Molete said.
“All collaborators will sit down today and define specific projects,” he said.
Nestlé will also be bringing its own scientists to the meeting.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to fund future research projects at the CSIR and to share our scientific expertise with the South African scientific community,” Nandu Nandkishore, executive board member of Nestlé, said at the announcement of the partnership on Monday.

The agreement follows a visit last year by delegates from the CSIR, the Department of Science and Technology and the Technology and Innovation Agency to the Nestlé Research Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Nestlé, CSIR and the department believe the partnership will make a tangible contribution to the scientific development of SA and Africa as a continent.

With Tamar Kahn, wilds@bdfm.co.za

Among the many thousands of plants used medicinally around the world, about a hundred or so are mind and mood-modifying. Now, a plant from South Africa has made its way to North America, and it too promises significant mind enhancing effects.

Sceletium tortuosum, known by the native San people of South Africa as “Kanna,” enjoys a long history of native use – as early as 1662. The San people used to pick the plant, bury it to ferment it, then dry it. Once dried, sceletium was eaten, used as a snuff or even smoked, to produce its potent effects. The plant was also sometimes used as currency.

A good way to describe the effects of sceletium is through a simple metaphor. Think of your mind as a reasonably well-tuned four cylinder engine. About half an hour after consuming between 50 – 100 milligrams of sceletium, your mind is more like a twelve cylinder, turbo-charged racing engine.  Soon your mind is overcome with startling clarity, a feeling that anything is possible, and a seemingly endless capacity for ideas and mental work. If coffee is a pick-me-up, sceletium is a jet ride to mental brilliance.

The staggering effects of sceletium seem primarily due to a group of alkaloids, notably mesembrine, mesembrenol and tortuosamine. These compounds interact with receptors in the brain, enhancing the production of dopamine, which is our primary inner pleasure chemical, and prolonging the activity of serotonin, a critically important mood compound. The net effect of sceletium ingestion is a feeling of tremendous well being, heightened awareness, mental alertness and a keen-mindedness that is quite pronounced.

But there is far more than just a feel good effect and terrific mental stimulation to sceletium. The plant appears to be a first-rate anti-depressant and anti-anxiety aid. It could potentially be used by people with low mental energy, mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety disorder.

In one study of the effects of sceletium reported in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, the main alkaloids of the plant demonstrated the capacity to extend the activity of serotonin. This activity, known as SSRI, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibition, is essentially how pharmaceutical antidepressant drugs work. The difference with sceletium is that it is a multi-compound plant and does not appear to demonstrate comparable hazardous effects of antidepressants, which can include gastrointestinal disorders, loss of sex drive, insomnia and exacerbated depression.

One major difference between sceletium and other agents used to manage depression or anxiety is that sceletium is available as an herbal supplement and does not require a prescription. Most people tolerate sceletium well, although there are some reports of mild headaches among users.

In its long history of use, no significant adverse effects of sceletium have been noted. This makes sceletium a worthy candidate for consideration in cases of depression and anxiety.  Is sceletium a miracle cure? No. Will sceletium erase all cases of depression and anxiety? No. But sceletium will likely enjoy a significant spot in the market as an unusually effective mind and mood enhancer, and a good first option for mild to moderate mood disorders.

Review Afrigetics Botanicals Sceletium Portfolio 

 GREEN GOLD – Success Stories Using Southern African Plant Species

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Afrigetics Botanicals trades in all species listed in this book. We have a benefit sharing agreement with the San of Southern Africa, we are licensed sellers of protected species (incl CITES) and are midway through the process of completing our bio-prospecting agreement. Contact us for more information abut any of these plants for research or commercial use: sales@afrigetics.com

By Shane Starling, 19-Dec-2011

South Africa’s San people say food giant Unilever was working off inaccurate research data when it decided to bin a €20m investment in hoodia gordonii, the Kalahari cactus the San have used for centuries to curb hunger pangs.