Isolation of compounds from Sceletium tortuosum and the detection of antimalarial activity of the isolates and extracts

Abstract

The genus Sceletium is classified as part of the Family Mesembryanthemaceae and belongs to the sub-family Mesembryanthemoideae. Some of the names used when referring to this genus are ‘living skeletons’ or ‘skeleton plants’ (http://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za), and popularly known kanna (Khoi) and kougoed (Afrikaans), the latter referring to the use of the plant material by chewing. The genus Sceletium occurs in the south-western parts of South Africa and these plants have an affinity for arid environments; they are also reported to occur in the Namaqualand Rocky Hills, Knersvlakte and Ceres Karoo (Gerbaulet, 1996). The genus is derived from ‘sceletus’ meaning skeleton which refers to the prominent leaf veins visible in the dry and withered leaves. The species are distinguished on the basis of vegetative, flower, fruit and seed characteristics (Gericke and Viljoen, 2008 )