Frequently asked questions
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African Ginger - Tablets
Sutherlandia - Tablets
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Sutherlandia
Q: What is Sutherlandia?
A: Sutherlandia frutescens subsp. microphylla is generally regarded as perhaps the most profound of the medicinal plants in southern Africa. Due to its efficacy as a safe tonic for diverse heath conditions it has enjoyed a long history of use by all cultures in southern Africa.
The plant is known in Zulu and Xhosa as Unwele meaning “hair” (traditionally it is believed Sutherlandia’s anti-anxiety activity stops one “pulling our hair” from distress) and Insiswa meaning “the one that dispels darkness”.
In Afrikaans it is called Kankerbos and in English Cancer Bush, due to its historical use for the treatment of people suffering with internal cancers and wasting.
The traditional Tswana name is Phetola. Phetola means “it changes”, alluding that the plant changes the course of many illnesses into a favourable outcome. The North Sotho name Lerumolamadi means “the spear for the blood” alluding that Sutherlandia is a powerful blood purifier or all-purpose tonic.
San people call it Insisa – “the one that dispels darkness"" They used it as an energy booster and a powerful anti-depressant.
The folk and indigenous uses include use of Sutherlandia for: wasting from cancer and TB, prevention and treatment of cancers, diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis, anxiety, depression, influenza, rheumatism and arthritis (osteo-arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), peptic ulcer, gastritis and reflux oesophagitis.
Q: Can Sutherlandia be used during chemotherapy?
A: It is recommended that all cancer patients are assessed and managed by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional with recognised experience in managing cancer. The patient will need to make an informed decision about the treatment modalities to follow in his / her specific case. A decision should be made on whether or not Sutherlandia and / or other natural approaches to managing cancer should be included, and if so, at what stage of the planned treatment regimen.
Q: What effect does Sutherlandia have on HIV and AIDS patients?
A: Sutherlandia has become a popular wellness supplement for people living with HIV. Compelling anecdotal evidence suggests that Sutherlandia enhaces the quality of life of people living with HIV and AIDS. Compliance of appropriate doses of the correct selection of Sutherlandia taken on an ongoing basis, in addition to meticulous attention to diet is essential. Alcohol, recreational drugs and other drugs that damage the immune system should be avoided. Improvements in appetite, weight gain, sleep, exercise tolerance, anxiety and overall sense of well-being have been reported. It is recommended that HIV+ people should take a multivitamin in addition to Sutherlandia.
Most wasted patients show an increase in weight within six weeks of starting treatment. Weight gain of 10 – 15 kg have been documented in wasted patients. Interestingly weight gain is typically not seen in people taking Sutherlandia who are not wasted.
Improvements in CD4 counts and decreases in the viral load in AIDS patients taking Phyto Nova Sutherlandia SU1™ have been reported by clinicians in South Africa and Australia. These promising clinical anecdotes need to be validated and quantified by an independent controlled clinical trial.
Q: Can Sutherlandia be used with Anti-Retrovirals (ARV’s)?
A: Patients should discuss this with the doctor prescribing their antiretrovirals. Sutherlandia may reduce the effectiveness of some antiretroviral medications. Sutherlandia could be considered for adding to antiretroviral therapy by the managing doctor only if there has been insufficient immune reconstitution, if there has been inadequate weight gain, or if the patient has become resistant to available drug regimens.
Q: Can Sutherlandia be used by pregnant women?
A: Although there is a well-established traditional use of taking Sutherlandia in pregnancy, this is not recommended until there is further evidence of safety during pregnancy.
Q: Can a patient with Lupus take Sutherlandia?
A: It is recommended that anyone suffering from Lupus should not take Sutherlandia. There is evidence that one of the active compounds within Sutherlandia, when given in very high doses, may cause or exacerbate the symptoms of Lupus. Although it is a safe herbal remedy when taken at the recommended dosage, as an extra precaution, anyone suffering from Lupus should avoid Sutherlandia.
Q: Can someone on Warfarin take Sutherlandia at the same time?
A: Sutherlandia, like many herbal remedies, may increase your bleeding time. Therefore it is not recommended for people taking Warfarin, or any other anti-coagulant, to take Sutherlandia. You should only consider using Sutherlandia with Warfarin if you have discussed its use with your doctor or other registered healthcare professional, and they are strictly monitoring your therapy and bleeding times.
It is also recommended that you do not take Sutherlandia for two weeks prior to elective surgery. It may increase the risk of excessive bleeding during surgery.
Q: Can I give Sutherlandia to my pet?
A: Although there are anecdotal reports of dogs and cats being given Sutherlandia, we do not have any evidence of its safety and required dosages in pets. Please consult with your vetinarian before giving any herbal remedy to your pet.
Q: What are the modern day benefits of Sutherlandia?
A: Enhancing wellness, assisting in strengthening the immune system, improving sleep, increasing appetite and weight gain in thin or wasted people, assisting in alleviating stress states, lessening anxiety and depression, increasing energy, assisting the body as an antioxidant.
Q: How can one plant be used for such a wide variety of conditions and claim so many benefits?
A: In practice, Sutherlandia is an adaptogenic tonic that helps the body to mobilise its own resources to cope with physical and mental stress. It is the synergy between the full spectrum of natural compounds in the plant, rather than the isolated compounds that make it so useful.
Q: Can consumers use Phyto Nova Sutherlandia SU1™ every day?
A: Yes. Anyone can benefit from the adaptogenic effects of the plant, which enhances wellness and quality of life.
Q: What makes the Phyto Nova Sutherlandia SU1™ product different to other Sutherlandia products?
A: The Phyto Nova team were the first to make Sutherlandia tablets available commercially, and are the researchers behind the selection of a particular variety of the plant.
SU1 – a novel plant chemical from a superior Sutherlandia frutescens variety had been isolated and characterised by Phyto Nova, and this research has enabled Phyto Nova to select and breed a specific variety of Sutherlandia for large scale farming, a process that has not involved cloning or genetic modification.
This chemotype has been developed so that safety and scientific research studies on this particular variety can be reliably applied to Phyto Nova’s product. Phyto Nova’s SU1 variety of the Sutherlandia has been studied for safety by the Medical Research Council and is the subject of 3 scientific studies accepted for publication in 2004.
Chemo type: Plants of the same genus that appear externally identical but have a variation in the chemical constituents, often due to climatic, altitude or soil conditions.
Phyto Nova has created an Indigenous Knowledge Systems Trust in recognition of the role played by indigenous medicinal plant research. A trust account has been set up by the firm of attorneys Qunta and Associates, and a monthly royalty on turnover is currently being paid into this account. The funds that accumulate can be contributed to the national indigenous knowledge trust fund that is under discussion by the Government.
Cultivation of SU1 Sutherlandia by Phyto Nova contributes to the protection of wild plants, to job creation in rural areas and gives reproducible product of high quality.
Q: Please can you give me a guideline to the use of Sutherlandia in children?
A: Short-term use in children:
Sutherlandia can be taken by children for mild self-limiting health conditions for a week to ten days, for example taken as an immune booster when the child is run down, or during a cold or flu. Sutherlandia can be taken by children from age 5 to 11 at a dose of ½ a tablet crushed with a little sugar, taken twice a day, followed by a drink of juice. In children older than 12 the same dose is taken as for adults, which is one tablet twice a day, followed by a drink of juice or water.
Please note that Sutherlandia is extremely bitter.
Long term use in children:
Where a chronic health condition exists, the possible inclusion of Sutherlandia in the management of the patient must be decided by the managing doctor or paediatrician. In the case of HIV+ patients, the patient’s clinical condition must be formally evaluated by a doctor to see if the child is eligible for antiretroviral treatment (ART), and/or prophylactic antibiotics, to screen for underlying infections such as TB, and to optimise the nutritional status of the child.
We are aware that some HIV+ children (including children younger than 5 yrs) are sometimes given Sutherlandia by care-givers with good responses reported; however, we cannot responsibly recommend this use without formal supporting studies, and without the children being properly screened for eligibility for ART, and screening and management of underlying treatable infections.
Q: Are there any side effects?
A: No severe adverse effects are known. Known side effects include occasional reports of dry mouth, occasional reports of mild diuretic effect, occasional reports of loose stool, occasional reports of constipation. Slight dizziness has been occasionaly noted in very wasted and weak patients (e.g. in an ill adult weighing 35kg) who take Sutherlandia without meals. This is corrected by instructing wasted patients to take the product after meals.
Q: Is Phyto Nova Sutherlandia SU1™ accepted by medical aids?
A: The product is Nappi coded (a code that is accepted by certain medical aids subject to their individual exclusions).
Q: Can a patient with diabetes take Sutherlandia?
A: We recommend that diabetics get formally evaluated and treated by their doctor or registered healthcare professional. Although Sutherlandia has a folk-use for diabetes, there is so far insufficient scientific research to recommend treating diabetes with Sutherlandia. Diabetics taking Sutherlandia need to do this under a doctor’s supervision, as they may need to have the dose of their diabetic medication adjusted.
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