Cultivation and beneficial uses of Pelargonium sidoides DC. – a review

Abstract

Background: Pelargonium sidoides (P. sidoides) DC. (Geraniaceae) is one of several geophytic species of the genus that are important traditional medicines in South Africa. P. sidoides has been identified as a potential future economic species known to cure various ailments, including respiratory infections.

Aim: This review was aimed at addressing concerns around the overexploitation of P. sidoides in the wild.

Setting: This review provides an overview of P. sidoides cultivation and usage.

Method: A comprehensive literature search involving mainly electronic and library sources of information was used to collate and synthesise published data.

Results: According to the findings of the study, there has been a huge increase in demand for the plant and it has been overexploited locally as a result of increased domestic and global demand from native consumers and the pharmaceutical industries.

Conclusion: The review emphasises the necessity of cultivation in ensuring the sustainability of P. sidoides in the wild. Cultivation is a crucial component of conservation attempts which is under threat because of increasing urbanisation, habitat degradation, and population growth. Furthermore, producing medicinal plants allows new rural farmers to produce them as a new crop option, reducing unsustainable wild collection and competition with established commercial farmers who mostly raise food crops. Lastly, the study reveals the benefits in cultivating medicinal plants namely the strengthening of primary healthcare through traditional medicine, the preservation of indigenous knowledge, local economic growth, and job creation.

Contribution: The benefits of cultivation and using P. sidoides medicinally are reviewed in this essay.