Artemisia Afra

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Common Names

Afrikaans

Wilde Als · Wildeals

English

African Wormwood

Khoikhoi

not documented

Ndebele

umhlonyane

San

not documented

Sepedi

lengana

Sesotho

lengana

Setswana

lengana

Swati

umhlonyane

Tsonga

budzuke

Venda

tshisangoma

Xhosa

umhlonyane

Zulu

umhlonyane

Common Name

Artemisia Afra

Scientific Name

Artemisia afra

Family

Asteraceae

Native Region

Widespread across South Africa, used across nearly all provinces in traditional medicine.

Annual
Production

500–1,500 t

Export Revenue

R50–100m

Export Markets

Domestic

Livelihoods

2,000–5,000

Protection & Benefit Sharing

No GI No GI protection. One of the most widely used traditional medicines in South Africa across all provinces.

No BSA No formal agreement. Knowledge held broadly across Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Venda and Tsonga communities — no single rights holder identified.

Organic Informal organic production widespread. No formal certification structure.

Wild Harvest Mix of wild harvest and widespread household cultivation. No sustainability concerns at current scale.

Provinces

ECEastern Cape

FSFree State

GTGauteng

KZNKwaZulu-Natal

LIMLimpopo

MPMpumalanga

NCNorthern Cape

NWNorth West

WCWestern Cape

Key

Registered farm

Certified organic

Introduction

A fast-growing, aromatic shrub widespread across southern Africa. Known as the 'most widely used medicinal plant' in the region, it is central to respiratory health across Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, and Afrikaner folk traditions.

Active Compounds

Alpha-thujone
Beta-thujone
Camphor
1,8-cineole
Luteolin
Quercetin

Traditional Uses

Respiratory infections
Fever
Intestinal parasites
Joint pain
Sinusitis

Clinically Validated

Antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and E. coli (Van Wyk et al., 2009)
Anti-inflammatory flavonoid activity (Mukinda & Syce, 2007)
Smooth muscle antispasmodic effects (Deutschländer et al., 2009)
Anti-diabetic potential in animal models (Swanepoel et al., 2016)

Cultivation

Highly adaptable (Mediterranean to highland); frost-tolerant.

Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KZN Drakensberg, Lesotho, Limpopo

Commercial & Trade Notes

Established small-scale cultivation; high domestic volume.

Indigenous Knowledge

Cross-cultural 'medicine chest'; steam inhalations (Umhlonyane) are the standard first-response for respiratory illness. Integrated into initiation rituals, Afrikaner 'Lewensessens' traditions, and Cape Malay apothecary.

Health