5 - Epistemological Issues in the Making of an African medicine: Sutherlandia (Lessertia Frutescens)
African Sociological Review,
Vol. 14 No. 2 (2010): African Sociological Review
Abstract
The scientific clinical trial of the African traditional medicine, Sutherlandia (Lessertia fru-
tescens) forms an interface between the indigenous local knowledge of people living with Aids,
traditional health practitioners and that of science and global health. up till now, no cross-disciplinary studies have been done on epistemological questions concerning especially the
knowledge and understanding of ‘proof ’ of efficacy concerning an African traditional medicine.
This paper draws together insights and analysis from the anthropology and sociology of health and healing in discussing the intersecting fields of knowledge and experience of pharmacology,
phytotherapy and related fields, as well as that of biomedical and traditional health practitio-
ners, and of research subjects involved in the making of clinical trials of sutherlandia (lessertia
frutescens) in South Africa.
Keywords
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- Ang-Lee, M. K., Moss, J., and Yuan, C. S., 2001 Herbal medicines and perioperative care JAMA 286: 208-16.
- Bent, S., 2008 Herbal medicine in the United States: review of efficacy, safety and regulation – grand rounds at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Centre Journal of General intern Medicine 23: 854-9.
- Browner, C. H., Ortiz de Montellano and Rubel, 1988 A methodology for cross-cultural Ethnomedical Research Current Anthropology 29, 5.
- Calapai, Gioacchino, 2008 European Legislation on Herbal Medicines Drug Safety 31, 5:428-431.
- Calapai, G. and Caputi, A. P. 2007 Herbal medicines: can we do without pharmacologists? evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine 4:41-3.
- Calixto, J. B., 2000 Efficacy, safety, quality control, marketing and regulatory guidelines for herbal medicines (phytotherapeutic agents) Brazilian Journal of Medical Biological Research 33, 2:179-89.
- Coultier, I. and Willis, E., 2004 The rise and rise of complementary and alternative medicine: A sociological perspective Medical Journal of Australia 180: 587-589.
- Cravotto. G., L. Boffa, L. Genzini and D. Garella, 2010 Phytotherapeutics: an evaluation of 1000 planta Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics 35: 11-48.
- Crawford, T. A. and Lipsege, M., 2004 Seeking help for psychological distress: The interface of Zulu traditionasl healing and Western biomedicine. Mental health, Religion and Culture, 7, 2:131-148.
- Dalvi, S., 2003 Surtherlandia for immune support Positive health 2003:23-25 De Smet, PAGM., 2002 Herbal remedies. new england Journal of Medicine 347: 2046-2056.
- Ernst, E., 2002 Adulturation of Chinese herbal medicines with synthetic drugs: a systematic review Journal of international Medicine, 252:107-13.
- Etkin, N. C., 1988 Ethnopharmacology: Biobehavioral approaches in the Anthropological study of indigenous medicines Annual Review of Anthropology Vol 17:23-42.
- Fabrega, H., 2002 Medical validity in eastern and western traditions. Perspect Biological Medicine 45: 395-415.
- Forster, G. M., 1976 Disease etiologies in Non-Western Medical Systems American Anthropologist 78:773-82.
- Gericke, N., Albrecht C. F., Van Wyk B. Mayeng B, Mutwa C, Hutchings A., 2001Sutherlandia frutescens. Australian Journal of Medical herbalism 13:9-15.
- Goody, Jack, 1977 Domestication of the Savage Mind Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Johnson, Q., Syce, J., Well, H., Rudeen, K., and Folk, W.R., 2007 A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Lessertia Frutescens in healthy adults PLOS Clinical Trials.
- Kaptchuck, T. J., 2001 The double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial: gold standard or golden calf? Journal of Clinical epidemiology 54, 541-9.
- Mackenzie-Cook, Peter, D., 2006 Challenging the New Orthodoxy in Integrative Medicine The Journal of Alternative And Complementary Medicine Vol12, 7:679-683.
- Mahady, G. B., 2001Global harmonization of herbal health claims Journal of nutrition 131 (3 supplementary): 1120-1123S.
- Mills, S. E., 2005 HIV Illness meaning and collaborative healing strategies in South Africa Social Dynamics 31 2:126-160.
- Mills, Edward, Curtis Cooper, Dugald Seely and Izzy Kanfer, 2005 African herbal medicines in the treatment of HIV: hypoxis and Sutherlandia. An overview of evidence and pharmacology nutritional Journal 4, 19 available (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
- Montogomerry, K., 2006 how doctors think: clinical judgement and the practice of medicine Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Morris, K., 2002 South Africa tests traditional medicines. Lancet infectious Disease 2:319.
- Nebel, A., Schneider, B. J. Baker, R. K. et al, 1999 Potential metabolic reaction between St John’s wort and theophylline [letter] Annal Pharmacother 33:502.
- Nyika, A. 2007 Ethical and Regulatory Issues surrounding African Traditional Medicine in the Context of HIV/AIDS, Developing World Bioethics 1: 25- 34.
- Oloyede, Y., 1997 Pain in hausa and Western culture: a comparison. Unpublished paper. Department of Psychiatry, Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College, London.
- Ortiz de Montellano and Browner, C. H., 1985 Chemical basis for medicinal plant use in Oaxaca, Mexico Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 13; 57-88.
- Pefile, S, 2005 South African legislation on traditional medicine. Science and Development Network Prost, N., Tichadou, L., Rodor, F. et al, 2000 St John’s wort venlafaxine interaction Presse Med 29:1285-6.
- Protorious, E., de Klerk, G. W. and van Rensburg, H. C. J., 1993 The traditional healer in South African health care Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council Rubin, A., 1989 Art as Technology In: The Arts of Africa, Oceania, native Americas. (ed.) Z. Pearstone. Beverly Hills.
- Schaffner, K. F., 2002 Assessments of efficacy in biomedicine: the turn toward methodological pluralism. In: Callahan, D. (ed.) The role of complementary and alternative medicine: accommodating pluralism. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.
- Sillitoe, Paul., 2006 Ethnobiology and applied anthropology: reapprochment of the academic with the poractical Journal of the Royal Anthropological institute (NS) pp. 119-142.
- Stevens, P. Jr., 1996 Magic In encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology (eds.) D. Levinson and Ember, pp.721-26.
- Stickel, F., Patseuker, E., and Schuppan, D., 2005 Herbal Hepatotoxicity Journal of hapatology August pp.901-910.
- Swedlund, A. C., Armelagos, G. (eds.), 1990 Disease in Populations in transition: anthropological and epidemiological perspectives New York: Bergen and Garvey P.
- Tabi, Z., Lynch, F., Ceredig, R., Allan, J. E. and Doherty, C., 1988 Virus specific memory T cells are Pgp-1+ and can be selectively activated with phorbolester and calcium Cellular immunology Vol 113 issue 2:268-277.
- Taussig, M., 1992 Tactility and Distraction In Rereading Cultural Anthropology, (ed.) G. E. Marcus pp. 8-14 Durham.
- Tilburt, Jon C., and Kaptchuck, Ted, J., 2008 Herbal medicine research and global health: an ethical analysis Bulletin of the World health Organization, August, 86, 8. I8b.
- Waldstein, A. and Adams, C., 2006 The interface between medical anthropology and medical ethnobiology Journal of the Royal Anthropological institute Vol 12, pp. 95-118.
- WHO, 2002 WhO traditional medicine strategy 2002-2005, Geneva: WHO Wolff, Norma. H., 2000 The Use of human Images in Yoruba Medicines ethnology, Vol. 39, no 3: 205-224.
References
Ang-Lee, M. K., Moss, J., and Yuan, C. S., 2001 Herbal medicines and perioperative care JAMA 286: 208-16.
Bent, S., 2008 Herbal medicine in the United States: review of efficacy, safety and regulation – grand rounds at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Centre Journal of General intern Medicine 23: 854-9.
Browner, C. H., Ortiz de Montellano and Rubel, 1988 A methodology for cross-cultural Ethnomedical Research Current Anthropology 29, 5.
Calapai, Gioacchino, 2008 European Legislation on Herbal Medicines Drug Safety 31, 5:428-431.
Calapai, G. and Caputi, A. P. 2007 Herbal medicines: can we do without pharmacologists? evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine 4:41-3.
Calixto, J. B., 2000 Efficacy, safety, quality control, marketing and regulatory guidelines for herbal medicines (phytotherapeutic agents) Brazilian Journal of Medical Biological Research 33, 2:179-89.
Coultier, I. and Willis, E., 2004 The rise and rise of complementary and alternative medicine: A sociological perspective Medical Journal of Australia 180: 587-589.
Cravotto. G., L. Boffa, L. Genzini and D. Garella, 2010 Phytotherapeutics: an evaluation of 1000 planta Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics 35: 11-48.
Crawford, T. A. and Lipsege, M., 2004 Seeking help for psychological distress: The interface of Zulu traditionasl healing and Western biomedicine. Mental health, Religion and Culture, 7, 2:131-148.
Dalvi, S., 2003 Surtherlandia for immune support Positive health 2003:23-25 De Smet, PAGM., 2002 Herbal remedies. new england Journal of Medicine 347: 2046-2056.
Ernst, E., 2002 Adulturation of Chinese herbal medicines with synthetic drugs: a systematic review Journal of international Medicine, 252:107-13.
Etkin, N. C., 1988 Ethnopharmacology: Biobehavioral approaches in the Anthropological study of indigenous medicines Annual Review of Anthropology Vol 17:23-42.
Fabrega, H., 2002 Medical validity in eastern and western traditions. Perspect Biological Medicine 45: 395-415.
Forster, G. M., 1976 Disease etiologies in Non-Western Medical Systems American Anthropologist 78:773-82.
Gericke, N., Albrecht C. F., Van Wyk B. Mayeng B, Mutwa C, Hutchings A., 2001Sutherlandia frutescens. Australian Journal of Medical herbalism 13:9-15.
Goody, Jack, 1977 Domestication of the Savage Mind Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Johnson, Q., Syce, J., Well, H., Rudeen, K., and Folk, W.R., 2007 A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Lessertia Frutescens in healthy adults PLOS Clinical Trials.
Kaptchuck, T. J., 2001 The double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial: gold standard or golden calf? Journal of Clinical epidemiology 54, 541-9.
Mackenzie-Cook, Peter, D., 2006 Challenging the New Orthodoxy in Integrative Medicine The Journal of Alternative And Complementary Medicine Vol12, 7:679-683.
Mahady, G. B., 2001Global harmonization of herbal health claims Journal of nutrition 131 (3 supplementary): 1120-1123S.
Mills, S. E., 2005 HIV Illness meaning and collaborative healing strategies in South Africa Social Dynamics 31 2:126-160.
Mills, Edward, Curtis Cooper, Dugald Seely and Izzy Kanfer, 2005 African herbal medicines in the treatment of HIV: hypoxis and Sutherlandia. An overview of evidence and pharmacology nutritional Journal 4, 19 available (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
Montogomerry, K., 2006 how doctors think: clinical judgement and the practice of medicine Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Morris, K., 2002 South Africa tests traditional medicines. Lancet infectious Disease 2:319.
Nebel, A., Schneider, B. J. Baker, R. K. et al, 1999 Potential metabolic reaction between St John’s wort and theophylline [letter] Annal Pharmacother 33:502.
Nyika, A. 2007 Ethical and Regulatory Issues surrounding African Traditional Medicine in the Context of HIV/AIDS, Developing World Bioethics 1: 25- 34.
Oloyede, Y., 1997 Pain in hausa and Western culture: a comparison. Unpublished paper. Department of Psychiatry, Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College, London.
Ortiz de Montellano and Browner, C. H., 1985 Chemical basis for medicinal plant use in Oaxaca, Mexico Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 13; 57-88.
Pefile, S, 2005 South African legislation on traditional medicine. Science and Development Network Prost, N., Tichadou, L., Rodor, F. et al, 2000 St John’s wort venlafaxine interaction Presse Med 29:1285-6.
Protorious, E., de Klerk, G. W. and van Rensburg, H. C. J., 1993 The traditional healer in South African health care Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council Rubin, A., 1989 Art as Technology In: The Arts of Africa, Oceania, native Americas. (ed.) Z. Pearstone. Beverly Hills.
Schaffner, K. F., 2002 Assessments of efficacy in biomedicine: the turn toward methodological pluralism. In: Callahan, D. (ed.) The role of complementary and alternative medicine: accommodating pluralism. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.
Sillitoe, Paul., 2006 Ethnobiology and applied anthropology: reapprochment of the academic with the poractical Journal of the Royal Anthropological institute (NS) pp. 119-142.
Stevens, P. Jr., 1996 Magic In encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology (eds.) D. Levinson and Ember, pp.721-26.
Stickel, F., Patseuker, E., and Schuppan, D., 2005 Herbal Hepatotoxicity Journal of hapatology August pp.901-910.
Swedlund, A. C., Armelagos, G. (eds.), 1990 Disease in Populations in transition: anthropological and epidemiological perspectives New York: Bergen and Garvey P.
Tabi, Z., Lynch, F., Ceredig, R., Allan, J. E. and Doherty, C., 1988 Virus specific memory T cells are Pgp-1+ and can be selectively activated with phorbolester and calcium Cellular immunology Vol 113 issue 2:268-277.
Taussig, M., 1992 Tactility and Distraction In Rereading Cultural Anthropology, (ed.) G. E. Marcus pp. 8-14 Durham.
Tilburt, Jon C., and Kaptchuck, Ted, J., 2008 Herbal medicine research and global health: an ethical analysis Bulletin of the World health Organization, August, 86, 8. I8b.
Waldstein, A. and Adams, C., 2006 The interface between medical anthropology and medical ethnobiology Journal of the Royal Anthropological institute Vol 12, pp. 95-118.
WHO, 2002 WhO traditional medicine strategy 2002-2005, Geneva: WHO Wolff, Norma. H., 2000 The Use of human Images in Yoruba Medicines ethnology, Vol. 39, no 3: 205-224.