Medicinal plants for strong immune system and traditional skin therapy in South Africa an overview

Abstract

Without a doubt, skin care/therapy is one of the leading global markets and contributes significantly to economies today. The global value is estimated at 128.38 billion USD and is expected to rise to 189.3 billion USD by 2025 (Statista 2020a). The South African market, which was valued at 581.7 million USD in 2017, will have an estimated value of 839.2 million USD by the year 2023 (Statista 2020b). In fact, South Africa holds the largest share of the market in Africa. The major divisions of this market include anti-ageing, antipigmentation, antidehydration, and sun protection, with applications in beauty salons, medical institutions, and retail stores, among others. These figures are reflective of the role of the skin in the human body. The skin is indeed the human body’s largest organ and acts as a gateway to the rest of the body. It is the body’s first line of defence against pathogens and water loss, regulating temperature and sensation, and providing insulation among its myriad functions. Nevertheless, the skin is also home to millions of complex communities of fungi, viruses, and bacteria, with most of the bacteria playing a beneficial role to the body and immune system. The communities of fungi, viruses, and bacteria are informed by a host of factors, which depend largely on environmental conditions and the ecology of the skin surface itself (Grice and Segre 2011). More specifically, Chen and Tsao (2013) reported that skin moisture content, temperature, skin physiology, including sebaceous gland density, and host genetics, as well as exogenous environmental factors are the major determinants of the composition of these communities. Furthermore, adaptive and cutaneous immune responses can moderate microbial communities, while they also inform the immune system (Grice and Segre 2011). An understanding of the skin microbiota would therefore open a window into the microbiota–skin interactions which lead to diseases and abnormalities, so that researchers can develop appropriate treatment approaches. Since the dawn of time, visible alterations of the skin surface have been recognized, with some being treated and others not.