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Bark products constitute nearly one third of plant material used in South
African traditional medicine. Since the large majority of South Africans make
use of traditional health care, bark is fundamental to the traditional pharmacopoeia.
In this review we consider the status of bark resources, as reflected by the
literature, and highlight the need for multi-disciplinary research to address
the lack of available information on plant species used for their bark. The
supply of bark to the medicinal plant trade has been rendered non-sustainable,
due to increased user populations and reduced indigenous vegetation. Whilst
conservation of the South African flora is paramount, natural resources cannot
meet the current, nor foreseeable, demand for bark. Alternatives such as tree
propagation and cultivation, strategic management and plant part substitution
are discussed. Effective implementation of these action plans is reliant on
the dissemination of existing and new knowledge. The prevailing scenario of
a non-sustainable bark supply has impacted negatively on the quality of bark
products available to the consumer, as problems of incorrect identification
and purposeful adulteration arise. To facilitate monitoring and standardisation,
phytochemical references should be established for bark authentication, and
used in conjunction with morphological and anatomical characters for identification
in the case of unknown specimens. The importance of bark in South African traditional
health care warrants attention from all research sectors to conserve the country’s
rich floral heritage, and the integrity of traditional health care.

South African Journal of Botany 2002, 68: 21–30