Day: July 20, 2026

Categories : Medical Research & TechnologyTags : Leave a comment

University of Pretoria Research Explores How Africa’s Medicinal Plants Could Improve Healthcare

On By ModernMedia
Profs Senkubuge, Nyakudya, Schlemmer and Joubert

The University of Pretoria (UP) is advancing research that could reshape how non-communicable diseases such as metabolic syndrome are prevented and managed in Africa. The Department of Physiology’s Professor Trevor Nyakudya has called for scientifically validated phytomedicine to become an integral part of future healthcare.

Phytomedicine is the scientific study of plant-derived compounds as therapeutic agents that support health and treat disease. According to the International Diabetes Federation, metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cooccurring metabolic abnormalities that, together, dramatically increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity, thus affecting the body’s ability to regulate and use energy effectively.

Delivering his inaugural professorial lecture, ‘Phytomedicine and Metabolic Health: Towards Integrative Solutions for a Global Crisis’, Prof Nyakudya presented more than a decade of pre-clinical medical research demonstrating how plant-derived bioactive phytochemicals and phytomedical plant extracts can complement existing conventional medicine in addressing metabolic syndrome, especially type 2 diabetes and related noncommunicable diseases.

His research comes at a time when the burden of metabolic disease is rising rapidly worldwide, particularly across Africa, where healthcare systems face significant resource constraints.“The plants of this continent, studied with the rigour of modern biomedical science, have something urgent and important to offer in the face of one of the defining health challenges of our time,” Prof Nyakudya said.

According to figures cited during his lecture, diabetes currently affects 589 million adults globally, with that number projected to increase to 853 million by 2050.Although conventional medicines remain essential, Prof Nyakudya argued that their effectiveness is often constrained in African settings by affordability, accessibility, long-term adherence and dependence on imported pharmaceuticals.“My argument is more specific: conventional pharmacotherapy, as currently deployed in African contexts, is structurally insufficient,” he said.

Over the course of his career, Prof Nyakudya has built one of South Africa’s leading research programmes in phytomedicine and metabolic health. His body of work spans 60 research-linked outputs and has established a coherent scientific framework linking indigenous medicinal plants with modern biomedical research. Working with collaborators and postgraduate students across South African universities and international research institutions, his laboratory has combined physiological techniques, molecular biology, histology and biochemistry to uncover how plant-derived compounds influence metabolic health at the molecular, cellular and organ levels.

Rather than validating traditional medicine through anecdotal evidence, his research applies rigorous scientific methods to establish the mechanisms by which phytochemicals regulate metabolism, inflammation and glucose control. This mechanistic approach positions phytomedicine firmly within evidence-based biomedical science and creates opportunities for translating indigenous knowledge into future therapeutic interventions.

A cornerstone of his research has focused on several naturally occurring bioactive phytochemicals found in numerous indigenous plant species. Through preclinical studies, his team demonstrated that administering some of these compounds during early critical periods of developmental plasticity could produce lasting protection against metabolic dysfunction later in life by reprogramming key metabolic pathways.

“The implication is profound: plant compounds administered in early life can reprogram metabolic vulnerability, shifting the therapeutic frame from lifelong adult pharmacotherapy to targeted prophylactic early-life intervention,” Prof Nyakudya said.

His research has identified critical molecular pathways through which phytochemicals influence glucose uptake, inflammation and energy metabolism, generating the mechanistic evidence required for future clinical translation. “Phytomedicine, done with mechanistic rigour, is not alternative medicine. It is integrative pharmacology. It engages the same molecular pathways as metformin. It applies the same scientific standards as conventional drug development. The difference is the source – and that difference is an advantage, not a limitation.”

Beyond metabolic disease, Prof Nyakudya is expanding his research into cancer biology and bone metabolism, investigating how plant-derived compounds may simultaneously address multiple chronic diseases through shared biological pathways.

Categories : General InterestTags : Leave a comment

Dis-Chem Opens First On-site Staff Clinic as Employers Rethink Workplace Healthcare

On By ModernMedia

New facility at head office and distribution centre brings primary healthcare directly to employees, marking a shift from wellness awareness to healthcare access

Dis-Chem has opened its first dedicated employee clinic, located at its head office and distribution centre in Midrand, giving employees direct access to primary healthcare services without leaving the workplace. The clinic was launched during Corporate Wellness Week and forms part of a planned rollout to additional distribution centres across the country.

Modelled on the Health Hub ‘store of the future’ recently launched at Melrose Arch which makes healthcare delivery the core offering, the facility offers a full suite of clinical services including routine consultations, maternal healthcare, immunisations and vaccinations, with escalation to a doctor where needed.

The launch reflects a broader shift in how South African employers approach workplace wellness. According to Nomfundo Vilakazi, Dis-Chem’s Director of People and Culture, corporate wellness has traditionally centred on annual screenings, wellness days and fitness initiatives, programmes that raise awareness but do little to remove the practical barriers that prevent people from seeking care.

“For many working South Africans, routine check-ups are postponed and early warning signs ignored, not because health isn’t valued, but because accessing care isn’t always convenient. The experience we create for our people directly influences the experience our people create for our customers,” says Vilakazi.

 “If we want customers to experience care, expertise and seamless service, our employees, as our priority customers, must experience those same principles inside our organisation. If we expect our people to champion health, we must first make it possible for them to prioritise their own.”

The clinic launch coincides with another milestone for the company: the formal definition of its Employer Value Proposition (EVP), which reinforces our Holistic Healthcare pillar that distinguishes Dis-Chem as an employer of choice. The employee clinic, servicing over 2500 head office and distribution centre employees, is positioned as a tangible, living expression of that strategic EVP commitment rather than a standalone corporate benefit.

Lizeth Kruger, Clinic Executive at Dis-Chem, notes that research consistently shows that when employees can consult a healthcare professional without taking time off work or travelling long distances, they are more likely to seek preventative care, manage chronic conditions and address concerns before they become serious – benefits that extend to families and communities well beyond the workplace.

“This is not about treating illness,” adds Kruger. “Creating an environment where our people, customers and communities can thrive begins by caring for those who make that mission possible every day. When we invest in the health of our people, everyone benefits.”

The model also incorporates innovative virtual healthcare solutions. Where appropriate, and when the clinic nurse has managed the patient within the full scope of her practice, patients can be seamlessly connected to a doctor via a video medical consultation. This approach enhances access to comprehensive, holistic care by combining the on-site expertise of the nurse with the support and guidance of a medical practitioner, ensuring patients receive the right care at the right time.

Employees not based at the head office or distribution centre will continue to access care through Dis-Chem’s existing clinic network, ensuring healthcare remains within reach across the business. The company plans to extend the employee clinic model to additional distribution centres within the next year.