Ethnobotanical appraisal of wild fruit species used in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa: A systematic review.

• Wild fruit plant species provide medicinal and nutritional benefits. • A total of 83 plant species from 63 genera and 31 families have been documented in the Ehlanzeni district of Mpumalanga. • The nutraceutical benefits of some wild fruit plants are yet to be explored. • The development of large-scale cultivation methods for wild fruit plants is necessary. Globally, plants serve as an important primary source of livelihood, mainly in rural communities. Food and health security are increasingly a concern in developed and developing countries, with a growing number of antimicrobial drug-resistant microbes and unwanted side effects of drugs challenging primary healthcare systems. Alternative sources of nutrition and medicine are thus necessary to curb food insecurity and resolve long-standing and emerging health issues. This review is a critical appraisal of the existing knowledge of wild fruit species in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Information on the ethnobotanical use of wild fruits in Mpumalanga province was acquired from various scientific databases and ethnobotanical literature. A sum of 83 plant species of 63 genera and 31 families have been documented in the Ehlanzeni district of Mpumalanga. Carissa spinarum L., Strychnos madagascariensis Poir., and Strychnos spinosa L. were some of the most commonly used plant species in Mpumalanga Province. Seventy six percent of the wild fruit species have medicinal uses, whereas 51 % have nutritional uses. The study revealed that ethnobotanical studies on wild fruit species were conducted in Ehlanzeni district municipality, which showed that there is still a dearth of information in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The study reveals that the medicinal and nutritional uses of wild fruit species in Mpumalanga Province are not fully explored across different ethnic groups, and their economic significance is also insufficiently determined. Therefore, more ethnobotanical studies are needed to document the nutritional, medicinal, and economic value of these plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]