In South Africa, COVID-19 Pits Traditional Medicine Against Clinical Trial Rules 31/12/2020
In June,
Artemisia afra was in high demand on the streets of Johannesburg in South Africa. To treat COVID-19 symptoms, the Indigenous herb’s silvery leaves were for sale at roadside vendors and in the city’s popular traditional markets. Some people even pulled the plant from private gardens. And on the sides of nearby highways, people held signs for “mhlonyane” (
A. afra’s isiZulu name) and offered bushels to passing motorists like bouquets. Between February and July, the herb doubled in price.
People in the region have consumed the bitter plant for centuries to treat illnesses from colds to intestinal worms. With deaths rising as South Africa battled its first COVID-19 wave, people have turned to
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