South Africa is ranked as the third most biologically diverse country in the world and its forests contain a wide range of traditional medicinal plants. It is estimated that the country’s 200,000 traditional healers use approximately 3000 plant species as their materia medica for various diseases. The trade in medicinal plants is growing rapidly and is valued at between R750 million and R1 billion per annum. There are prospects for greater connections between the traditional and allopathic medicine systems which would increase the demand for medicinal plants. The industry faces several challenges in meeting an increasing demand.
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