SABPA EVENTS

New research topics on the Sceletium genus

by | Aug 16, 2024 | News | 0 comments

There are constantly new research studies being conducted on Sceletium. It is a medicinally important genus due to its amazing potential for mood enhancement and as a treatment for anxiety and depression. We have highlighted below 3 exciting studies that have been or are being conducted with Sceletium species.

  1. Earlier work led by Prof Carine Smith (Dept Medicine, Stellenbosch University) suggested that the monoamine releasing effect of mesembrine (one of the major alkaloids in Sceletium) facilitate the anxiolytic effect of Sceletium. This has now been successfully illustrated in intact, living organisms. A model using zebrafish larvae to quantify anxiety-like behaviour has been used to show that Mesembrine – at concentration proportional to the amount contained in a proven therapeutic dose of Sceletium – is the only tested Sceletium alkaloid with significant anxiolytic capacity in this model.
  2. Kaylan Reddy recently concluded his PhD study at Stellenbosch University on authentication of Sceletium. The PhD study provides a platform for using unique chemotypic and genetic trends across the genus.

Kaylan used a multidisciplinary approach including analytical methods, Feature based molecular networking and DNA barcoding. Chemical analyses reveal a trend of variable alkaloid production at elevation differences at an intra-species level (S. tortuosum) and DNA barcoding allows the identification of populations within the species by bioregion.

The study not only unravels some of the intricacies of the Sceletium genus but has also pioneered the establishment of a comprehensive analytical platform that integrates ecological, genetic, and chemical perspectives in the context of medicinal plants.

  1. There are ongoing studies at Stellenbosch University, the results of which have not been published yet. Prof. Marietjie Stander is looking at adulteration of Sceletium products with other plant material and determining whether Sceletium itself contains low levels of compounds that may be concentrated in the extraction process. The second is under the leadership of Prof. Nox Makunga, aiming to sequence the whole Sceletium genome. More on these topics once the results are public…

 

Thomas Brendler

 

Dr. Thomas Brendler is a scientist and consultant with over 30 years of experience in the field of natural product development, registration, and licensing, for medicine, food, and cosmetics. He is an expert in botanical research, product innovation, regulatory affairs, and sourcing of raw materials. He has contributed to the development and implementation of quality standards, herbal pharmacopoeias, and scientific publications for several organizations and agencies, including the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Centre for Development of Enterprise, and the International Trade Centre.

He is a co-founder and former director of the Association of African Medicinal Plants Standards, a non-profit organization that promotes the sustainable use of African plants. He holds a PhD in Botany from the University of Johannesburg and has published more than 50 papers and books on topics related to ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, phytotherapy, and natural product regulation.

Dr. Brendler is a member of the editorial boards of several journals, a US Pharmacopoeia expert committee member, and a board member of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology and the American Botanical Council. In 2023, he co-founded the Southern African Botanical Product Association (SABPA). He is also affiliated with Traditional Medicinals, a leading herbal tea company in the US, as Principal Scientist R&D.

Ferdinand Labuschagne

 

Ferdinand Labuschagne has been in the Medicinal Plant industry for the past 4 years, spending the first couple of years on building the commercial supply side of the Sceletium value chain through the establishment of KarooKanna Cultivation. Ferdinand have spent his  professional career in the Entrepreneurial space spending time in the following industries: Retail, International Forex and Commodity markets, Property development and marketing, mining, sales and marketing.

Ferdinand contributes to SABPA on marketing the association to new members, and represents the association on Natural medicine supply conferences both locally and internationally to help our members’ businesses through accessing new clients both locally and internationally.

Avril Harvey

 

Avril Harvey started her career as a researcher in a number of small Biotech start-ups (both in the United Kingdom and in South Africa) before her focus shifted to the commercialization of technology using public funds channeled through the Department of Science and Technology Innovation Centers.

As a project manager and management consultant, she has worked on consulting engagements helping multinationals to strategize on growth in Africa, as well as with small, post revenue generating social enterprises to become investment ready. Avril has both a Masters in Molecular Microbiology and a Masters in Business Administration.

Avril has worked at Parceval since 2016 with a focus on grant proposal writing, project management and consulting on supply chains and Nagoya Protocol for clients. She is a founding member of SABPA and is the current Secretary and Treasurer. She brings expertise on the local South African NEMBA and Bioprospecting, Access and Benefit Sharing legislation and processes to the Board of Directors.

Ulrich Feiter

Ulrich Feiter is the founder and CEO of Parceval Pty, based in Wellington near Cape Town, South Africa. 

Born and bred in Germany and with a background in horticulture, Ulrich started Parceval in 1992 in South Africa after having worked at companies like WALA and Weleda in Germany as well as in South Africa. Parceval cultivates and sources botanical raw materials for processing to herbal medicines as well as cosmetic ingredients in their GMP factory, both for local as well as international markets. 

His interest in indigenous plants and biological resources now spans some four decades with much pioneering work in commercialisation. Ulrich has worked in many African countries setting up sustainable supply chains for a variety of global clients in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industry. His work includes taking plants from wild harvesting into cultivation, working with rural communities and high end global pharmaceutical companies alike, compliance to Nagoya Protocol, negotiating innovative benefit sharing agreements and much more. 

Together with like-minded associates, he is a co-founder and first chairperson of SABPA.

Dr. Belinda Tan, MD is a physician-scientist, digital health pioneer, and Co-Founder and Co-CEO of People Science, a public benefit company dedicated to advancing evidence generation in health, complementary medicine, and food-as-medicine. The People Science platform, Chloe, enables evidence generation that bridges Pathogenesis and Salutogenesis. Trained in immunology, dermatology, and dermatopathology, Dr. Tan has dedicated her career to bridging clinical research with scalable technology. Before People Science, she co-founded Science 37, a leader in decentralized clinical trials, and helped launch DirectDerm, expanding teledermatology access nationwide. She is board-certified in dermatology and dermatopathology, holds degrees from MIT and UCLA, and has served as a clinical investigator and professor at Harbor-UCLA. She currently serves on several advisory boards, including the Beneficial Plant Research Association, and champions inclusive, consumer-centered research from her home base in Venice Beach, California. She believes that People + Plants will save the world.

Julia Weaver is the Herb Procurement Manager at Herb Pharm and manages global sourcing and procurement activities for Herb Pharm and Pacific Botanicals. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Plant and Microbial Biology from North Carolina State University, with a research focus in Ethnobotany. With nearly a decade of experience in the natural products industry, Julia specializes in quality-centered supply chain management, ethical sourcing, innovation, and product education.

My name is Leana Snyders. I am one of two Lead Community Researchers on the South African Team of ‘Leaving no-one behind in Research’. In my main role, I serve as the Director of the South African San Council, where I dedicate my life to representing and empowering Indigenous communities across South Africa. I live in Upington, but my roots lie in Steinkopf, Namakwaland. I am a proud mother of one daughter and a grandmother. From working as a diamond sorter to becoming a Coordinator of Indigenous Documentation and Director of the Kalahari Desert Festival, I have applied my skills in many ways - all guided by one purpose: to serve my community and be a voice for Indigenous people.

People inspire me: family, friends, colleagues. As Director of the San Council of South Africa, I have the privilege of getting to know San from all different language groups and collaborating with them. When I can stand up for people’s rights, I will. I also enjoy overseas travel, getting to know other countries and speaking on the rights of the San in the process. I have a passion for self-care and I am also the creator of the first-ever Buchu Hair Growth Oil, a proudly Indigenous product originally developed to help my goddaughter’s scalp. What began as a simple act of care , from mixing ingredients in my mother’s kitchen, has grown into a celebrated product used by women across the country. Through this hair oil, I aim to create something that not only inspires but also tells a story. Like many Indigenous concepts, it all starts with the roots. I have learned through many lessons in my life and career that when you understand where you come from, when you understand your roots, you gain the strength to help others grow along with yourself.

Empowerment, especially of Indigenous women, remains at the center of everything I do. I strive not only to inspire others but to set an example for my daughter and grandson, showing them that strength, purpose, and pride in one’s heritage can change lives and uplift entire communities. I live my life with purpose and passion, especially in the area of women’s empowerment. I founded the first-ever Indigenous Women’s Conference in South Africa, an initiative very close to my heart and inspired by my personal journey. The conference is rooted in the concept of my book, Behind My Red Lips, which tells a story of empowerment through the symbolism of red lipstick: a bold reminder of confidence, resilience, and identity.

Together with the Namaqua daisy, these symbols represent my personal strength and that of my community. The Namaqua daisy may look delicate, but it flourishes in the harshest conditions and always turning its face toward the sun. This is how I see the spirit of Indigenous women: strong, enduring, and full of light.

Professor (Botany)

Department of Botany and Zoology

Group leader - Medicinal plant biology / Medicinal plant research

My research is centred around using a multidirectional approach that combines the areas of biotechnology, ethnopharmacology and phytochemistry. In my group, we use cutting edge multi-omics technologies to study how plants function at genetic and biochemicals levels in relation to the production of specialized metabolites that impart health-beneficiating properties to medicinal plants. We also aim to better characterize responses of medicinal plants to the environment to assist with the production of quality assured, economically suitable phytopharmaceutics. Several current projects employ in vitro plant propagation methods as a scientific tool to resolve genetic-to-metabolome effects on various plant species. Exploitation of such technologies also provides a tool that allows the conservation of indigenous medicinal plants that may face overharvesting pressures from wild populations. I have an interest in people-plant interactions and so my research is also focused on medicinal plants, their cultural significance and opportunities presented for socioeconomic development. This has led to me a collaborative partnership with the Cape Bush Doctors organization and this group of bush doctors holds deep knowledge with regards to medicinal plants of the greater Cape Floristic Region.

In 2011, I was a recipient of the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) Annual Award under the category Distinguished Young Black Researcher (Female), TW Kambule NRF award for 2011/12, and a Fulbright Research Scholar where I was positioned at the University of Minnesota in 2017 to 2018. In 2022, I was a finalist in the NSTF Awards for science communication. I am a founding member of the social advocacy movement founded in 2020, Black Botanists Week that aims to bring greater visibility to Black, Indigenous and People of Colour who may be formally and informally trained in terms of their interests in plants.

Cyril has more than 30 years’ experience in the biotrade, natural products and small and medium size business development sectors.

In Namibia in the 1990s he worked with the team that established commercial marula oil production including the set-up of the supply associations and co-operatives and driving the commercial linkages to global companies. In 1999 he set up the Southern African Marula Oil Producers’ Network and facilitated the transfer of technology and know-how to community-based businesses in Botswana, Namibia, eSwatini, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

In 2000 Cyril was a member of the project formulation team that led to the establishment of the Southern African Natural Products Trade Association – PhytoTrade Africa. There he set up the European office, had roles of Head of Market Development and Head of R&D. During these roles he led the process to have Baobab fruit gain international market access through successful registration of this nutritious fruit as a novel food ingredient in the EU and obtaining recognition as a safe food ingredient in the USA though the FDA, and similar in Canada.

He took on the post of CEO of PhytoTrade Africa from 2013 to 2016, and during this time also served on the board of directors of the Union for Ethical Biotrade. Cyril has been involved in fundraising for the development of the biotrade sector and provides advisory services to the GIZ ABioSA project and the BioInnovation Africa project.

He is a director of Biotrade Ventures, an incubator of opportunities in the indigenous natural products sector with projects in Botswana and South Africa. Currently he has a focus on the development of the Marula fruit sector including access to local, regional and international markets.

My name is Leana Snyders. I am one of two Lead Community Researchers on the South African Team of ‘Leaving no-one behind in Research’. In my main role, I serve as the Director of the South African San Council, where I dedicate my life to representing and empowering Indigenous communities across South Africa. I live in Upington, but my roots lie in Steinkopf, Namakwaland. I am a proud mother of one daughter and a grandmother. From working as a diamond sorter to becoming a Coordinator of Indigenous Documentation and Director of the Kalahari Desert Festival, I have applied my skills in many ways - all guided by one purpose: to serve my community and be a voice for Indigenous people.

People inspire me: family, friends, colleagues. As Director of the San Council of South Africa, I have the privilege of getting to know San from all different language groups and collaborating with them. When I can stand up for people’s rights, I will. I also enjoy overseas travel, getting to know other countries and speaking on the rights of the San in the process. I have a passion for self-care and I am also the creator of the first-ever Buchu Hair Growth Oil, a proudly Indigenous product originally developed to help my goddaughter’s scalp. What began as a simple act of care , from mixing ingredients in my mother’s kitchen, has grown into a celebrated product used by women across the country. Through this hair oil, I aim to create something that not only inspires but also tells a story. Like many Indigenous concepts, it all starts with the roots. I have learned through many lessons in my life and career that when you understand where you come from, when you understand your roots, you gain the strength to help others grow along with yourself.

Empowerment, especially of Indigenous women, remains at the center of everything I do. I strive not only to inspire others but to set an example for my daughter and grandson, showing them that strength, purpose, and pride in one’s heritage can change lives and uplift entire communities. I live my life with purpose and passion, especially in the area of women’s empowerment. I founded the first-ever Indigenous Women’s Conference in South Africa, an initiative very close to my heart and inspired by my personal journey. The conference is rooted in the concept of my book, Behind My Red Lips, which tells a story of empowerment through the symbolism of red lipstick: a bold reminder of confidence, resilience, and identity.

Together with the Namaqua daisy, these symbols represent my personal strength and that of my community. The Namaqua daisy may look delicate, but it flourishes in the harshest conditions and always turning its face toward the sun. This is how I see the spirit of Indigenous women: strong, enduring, and full of light.

Suzette Trevor currently holds the position of Lead Buyer at Dohler South Africa for the Botanical Extract Business Unit in Paarl.  Döhler is a global producer, marketer and provider of technology-driven natural ingredients, ingredient systems and integrated solutions for the food and beverage industry.

Apart from her Human Resource qualification she obtained a diploma in Supply chain management through UNISA as well as a CIPS qualification. With over 25yrs of Supply Chain experience – in various industries - the last 6 yrs has been focused on Sourcing all raw material for the BU, Sales (internal and external) , the management of stock and production planning. Her main skill set includes collaborating with suppliers, negotiating, assessing company procurement needs and sourcing (local and globally) according to seasonal harvests.