Kidney-leaved Pelargonium

Other Names : Pelargonium reniforme, Rooirabas, iyeza lesikhali, ikubalo, umsongelo, umckaloabo
Pelargonium reniforme Curtis (Geraniaceae) is a shrublet of up to 1 m height with kidney-shaped leaves and pink flowers. It is indigenous to the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa and it occurs mainly in coastal regions.

Health Benefits and Uses of Kidney-leaved Pelargonium

Also known as umckaloabo it is traditionally used for a range of therapeutic functions and is well known for its beneficial effect on liver functioning. The medicinally active ingredients are found in the bitter tasting root of the plant.

• Pelargonium reniforme is a medicinal plant known to generations of Khoi/San descendants and Xhosa traditional healers for its health-giving properties in curing stomach ailments, bronchitis, dysentery, blood in stool and the like.
• It is widely used by traditional healers in areas of southern Africa for the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, fever, respiratory tract infections, liver complaints, and wounds (Watt & Breyer-Brandwijk, 1962).
• Information obtained from traditional healers and rural dwellers during ethnobotanical surveys carried out in Nkonkobe Municipality, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa showed that the aqueous root extracts are commonly used in the treatment of alcohol-induced liver disorders. Infusions and decoctions of the tubers are commonly taken, while a traditional method of using the roots is to boil the tuber in milk. Also, the roots may be directly chewed or powdered and mixed with food (Latté & Kolodziej, 2004). Although the root of this plant is used in the treatment of alcohol-induced liver disorders among several ethnic groups in areas of southern Africa, there is a paucity of scientific evidence regarding its usage in liver disorders. Hence, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activity as well as the protective and curative effects of P. reniforme root extracts against alcohol-induced damage of rat liver.