Ancient Medicines – Materia Medica of the Kalahari Bushmen

By Johannes Vahrmeijer

Discover a fascinating record of the traditional medicinal knowledge associated with the Kalahari San in Ancient Medicines – Materia Medica of the Kalahari Bushmen.

Written by South African economic botanist Johannes Vahrmeijer, this specialist work explores the relationship between the people of the Kalahari and the natural environment from which generations of traditional knowledge, remedies and medicinal plant uses developed.

The term materia medica traditionally refers to a body of knowledge concerning substances used for healing and therapeutic purposes. In the context of this book, it offers readers insight into the indigenous plants and natural materials associated with traditional Kalahari medicine and the remarkable botanical knowledge accumulated through generations of living closely with the environment.

Vahrmeijer brought substantial botanical experience to the subject. During his career he worked in economic botany and conducted extensive plant collecting throughout southern Africa, including Botswana, Namibia and various regions of South Africa. Thousands of his botanical specimens form part of South Africa’s National Herbarium collection.

The book will particularly appeal to readers interested in medicinal plants, ethnobotany, African traditional knowledge, natural history, herbal traditions and the cultural history of southern Africa. It also provides an interesting historical perspective on a body of indigenous plant knowledge that has often been inadequately recorded in conventional botanical and medical literature.

Ideal for: collectors of southern African botanical literature, students of ethnobotany, herbal and natural-health enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the traditional knowledge of the Kalahari San.

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