Model and experiences of initiating collaboration with traditional healers in validation of ethnomedicines for HIV/AIDS in Namibia

Many people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Namibia have access to antiretroviral drugs but some still use traditional medicines to treat opportunistic infections and offset side-effects from antiretroviral medication. Namibia has a rich biodiversity of indigenous plants that could contain novel anti-HIV agents. However, such medicinal plants have not been identified and properly documented. Various ethnomedicines used to treat HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections have not been scientifically validated for safety and efficacy. These limitations are mostly attributable to the lack of collaboration between biomedical scientists and traditional healers. This paper presents a five-step contextual model for initiating collaboration with Namibian traditional healers in order that candidate plants that may contain novel anti-HIV agents are identified, and traditional medicines used to treat HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections are subjected to scientific validation. The model includes key structures and processes used to initiate collaboration with traditional healers in Namibia; namely, the National Biosciences Forum, a steering committee with the University of Namibia (UNAM) as the focal point, a study tour to Zambia and South Africa where other collaborative frameworks were examined, commemorations of the African Traditional Medicine Day (ATMD), and consultations with stakeholders in north-eastern Namibia. Experiences from these structures and processes are discussed. All traditional healers in north-eastern Namibia were willing to collaborate with UNAM in order that their traditional medicines could be subjected to scientific validation. The current study provides a framework for future collaboration with traditional healers and the selection of candidate anti-HIV medicinal plants and ethnomedicines for scientific testing in Namibia

Challenges of domesticating wild plants: The case of the devil's claw (Harpagophytum spp.) in the Kalahari desert ecosystem

No Abstract.Discovery and Innovation Vol. 18 (3) 2006: pp. 175-18

The Number of Genes Controlling Resistance in Beans to Common Blight

Ten crosses were made between resistant (R), susceptible (S), RxS susceptible and Intermediate (I), SxI and RxR bean lines to common bacterial blight. The F1 were advanced to F2 and in each cross over 250 F2 plants were used to evaluate for the number of genes controlling resistance using Mendelian genetics and Stanifield’s formula. The plants were inoculated by razor blade method on the leaves and by needle scratch on the pods and evaluated at V3 (3rd trifoliate leaf stage), R6 (flowering stage) and on pods. Using Mendelian genetics mono to polygenic resistance was found to control resistance to common blight in the crosses evaluated at the three growth stages of the bean plant. At V3, two to many genes were found to control resistance with segregation ratios that were significantly (P≤0.05) different from that of three gene pairs. In some crosses transgressive segregation was observed. By application of appropriate variances to the equation provided by Stanisfield’s formula, the number of genes in the ten crosses was one to four at V3 one to three at R6 and one or two for pod resistance.Keywords: Common blight, genes, phaseolus beans, resistanc