Clivia miniata (Lindl.) Bosse of the family Amaryllidaceae is a perennial herb commonly used as herbal medicine in southern Africa. This plant is one of the main driving forces behind the growth of the South African floricultural industry. The current study critically investigated C. miniata's medicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties. Data on C. miniata's botany, medicinal uses, and phytochemical and pharmacological properties were collected from major online scientific databases, such as Google Scholar, SCOPUS, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, and PubMed, while technical reports and other forms of literature were obtained from conference papers, books, theses, blogs, and government gazettes. This study revealed that C. miniata is used as an ornamental plant and herbal medicine for the treatment of various human diseases and illnesses such as fever, enteric, scarlet, and malarial fevers, small-pox and measles, pneumonia, acute bronchitis and influenza, catarrhs, and bad coughs. It is used as snakebite antidotes and also to facilitate delivery at childbirth or augment labor and hence plays an important role in the primary healthcare of local communities in Southern Africans. Detailed phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological assessments should be carried out to correlate its medicinal uses with its phytochemical and pharmacological properties.
Key words: Antiviral, Anti-diabetic, Botany, Clivia, Chemical compounds, Uterotonic
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