]> 2026-09-21T12:08:05+07:00 Research:2011-12-13/Journal article/the-medical-ethnobotany-of-lesotho-a-review 0 en-gb 10.4102/abc.v41i1.52 Traditional healing in Lesotho is reviewed, focusing on four aspects: 1, cultural practices; 2, traditional health care practitioners; 3, dosage forms; 4, the materia medica. Cultural practices are strongly associated with the belief that intangible forces are responsible for human happiness and misery. A total of 303 plant species are used medicinally (including 25 alien species), representing eight pteridophyte and 75 angiosperm families, of which the most important are Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Hyacinthaceae, Apocynaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Lamiaceae and Poaceae. Dicoma anomala (used mainly for digestive ailments) and Artemisia afra (used mainly for respiratory ailments) appear to be the best known and most widely used medicinal plants amongst a total of 37 species that have been cited four or more times in the literature. About 50 species are variously employed for magic and sorcery. There are no new species records but 36 new uses are reported. Our conclusion is that the medicinal plants of Lesotho are relatively well recorded and that this review will allow detailed comparisons with other African healing cultures. Culture 2026-07-03Z 2461224.5 A. Moteetee, B.-E. Van Wyk 2011-12-13Z 2455908.5 A review of the medical ethnobotany of Lesotho recording Sesotho matekoane (Cannabis sativa) and its uses. Cite as Bothalia 41(1):209–228 (2011), not the widely-copied 43(2), 2013. The medical ethnobotany of Lesotho: a review Journal article Bothalia 2011 2026-08-11T22:24:14Z 2461264.4334954 Research:2011-12-13/Journal article/the-medical-ethnobotany-of-lesotho-a-review 0 0 plainlist 1 [[:Research:2011-12-13/Journal article/the-medical-ethnobotany-of-lesotho-a-review]] Research:2011-12-13/Journal article/the-medical-ethnobotany-of-lesotho-a-review# QUERY4c077bc463064c9da34fc519b504fe72 0 1 template 3 [[Has research title::+]] [[Has country::Lesotho]] Research:2011-12-13/Journal article/the-medical-ethnobotany-of-lesotho-a-review# QUERY36d21b0a093cc7e9190972c29e24b673