Uzara

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Common Names

Afrikaans

Bitterhout · Bitterwortel · Bitterhoutwortel · Melkbos

English

Milk Bush · Milkwort · Wild Cotton

Khoikhoi

not documented

Ndebele

not documented

San

not documented

Sepedi

not documented

Sesotho

leshokoa · poho-tehla

Setswana

not documented

Swati

not documented

Tsonga

not documented

Venda

not documented

Xhosa

iyeza elimhlophe · nwachaba · iShongwane

Zulu

iShongwane · iShongwe · iShinga

Common Name

Uzara

Scientific Name

Xysmalobium undulatum

Family

Apocynaceae

Native Region

Grassland biome, common along highway verges and open grassland across much of South Africa.

Annual
Production

20–60 t

Export Revenue

R10–30m

Export Markets

Germany

Livelihoods

200–500

Protection & Benefit Sharing

No GI No GI protection. German Commission E monograph (1990) confirmed and directly documented — one of only a handful of African plants with full European pharmaceutical monograph status. Recommended in Germany only as an antidiarrhoeal agent.

No BSA No formal agreement. Zulu and Xhosa communities hold traditional knowledge; the German pharmaceutical name preserved the African name, unusual in colonial botanical history.

Organic Small certified organic production available.

Wild Harvest Mix of cultivation and wild harvest. Cultivation essential as wild stock is at risk.

Provinces

ECEastern Cape

FSFree State

GTGauteng

KZNKwaZulu-Natal

LIMLimpopo

MPMpumalanga

NCNorthern Cape

NWNorth West

WCWestern Cape

Key

Registered farm

Certified organic

Introduction

Xysmalobium undulatum, or Uzara, is a historically significant medicinal root from eastern South Africa. It is one of the few African plants with full German Commission E pharmaceutical registration for the treatment of acute diarrhoea.

Active Compounds

Uzarigenin
Uzarin
Xysmalorin
Cymarose glycosides

Traditional Uses

Acute diarrhoea
Dysentery
Gastrointestinal spasms
Uterine complaints

Clinically Validated

Reduction of intestinal motility via Na+/K+-ATPase inhibition (Bodinet et al., 2002)
Confirmed efficacy for non-specific acute diarrhoea
Significant interaction with cardiac glycosides (digoxin); contraindicated for heart medication
Registered pharmaceutical product in Germany

Cultivation

Moist highland grassland; frost-tolerant; moisture-retentive, well-drained soil.

KZN Midlands/Drakensberg, Eastern Cape highlands, Mpumalanga escarpment, Lesotho

Commercial & Trade Notes

Wild harvest primary; cultivation essential for supply stability.

Indigenous Knowledge

Primary Zulu treatment for gastrointestinal crises and infant diarrhoea. Bitter root (Bitterwortel) preparation requires traditional expertise due to narrow therapeutic window and cardiac activity.

Health