EXPLAINER | How a tree growing in rural KZN could help treat diabetes

Sowetan · May 15, 2026 · 669 words · By Botho Molosankwe

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What to know about EXPLAINER

In a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal there grows a tree called Warburgia salutaris.

Claims checked 16

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

In a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal there grows a tree called Warburgia salutaris.

Why it matters

The tree is used in popular traditional African medicine, and University of Johannesburg researchers are currently using a chemical compound from it to make a complementary diabetes treatment.

Common ground

According to the institution, the Walburgia salutaris tree contains several active chemical compounds in its leaves, roots and bark.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: EXPLAINER?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that a commercial grower in the country is currently supplying their team with Warburgia plants. The company has a bioprospecting permit?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/2026-05-15-explainer-how-a-tree-growing-in-rural-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 6

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified 2

info Single Source 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “a commercial grower in the country is currently supplying their team with Warburgia plants. The company has a bioprospecting permit”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “University of Johannesburg researchers are currently using a chemical compound from it to make a complementary diabetes treatment.”

CORROBORATED

University of Johannesburg (UJ) profiles and research papers confirm Prof. Mthokozisi Simelane is investigating bioactive compounds from W. salutaris for diabetes treatment.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Herman Gottfried Breijer or Breyer (12 July 1864, in Arnhem – 10 October 1923, in Morgenzon, Louis Trichardt dist.) was a Dutch-born South African naturalist and museologist, the son of Carl Arnold Br…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Gottfried_Breijer

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web search NEUTRAL — Home. University of Johannesburg. Department of Biochemistry. Mthokozisi Simelane.Mukaadial acetate isolated from warburgia salutaris and the use thereof as an antimalarial.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mthokozisi-Simelane-2

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web search NEUTRAL — Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder which has become a major risk to the health of humankind, as its global prevalence is increasing rapidly. Currently available treatment options i…
https://www.academia.edu/58292434/Iso_Mukaadial_Acetate_from…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 3: “The bark has been used by various cultures in a region stretching from SA to Malawi. Traditionally, these have been used to treat a variety of illnesses, including common colds, blocked sinuses, coughs and malaria.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “The iso-mukaadial acetate compound also helped with blood sugar control and insulin levels in rats when administered in lower doses”

CORROBORATED

Research papers specifically mention that iso-mukaadial acetate expanded glucose use dose-dependently and inhibited enzymes associated with blood sugar control.

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web search NEUTRAL — In this study, iso-mukaadial acetate (Iso) (1), a drimane-type sesquiterpenoid from the ground stem bark of Warburgia salutaris, was investigated for glucose uptake enhancement in the L6 rat myoblast …
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336130030_Iso-Mukaa…

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web search NEUTRAL — Iso-mukaadial acetic acid derivation too essentially and dose-dependently expanded glucose use up to 215.18% (12.5 μg/mL).
http://www.ndl.gov.in/re_document/omics/omics/2adcbab171e55b…

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web search NEUTRAL — Furthermore, iso-mukaadial acetate dose-dependently inhibited the enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Scavenging activity against DPPH was displayed by iso-mukaadial acetate in a concentration-depend…
https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/9/10/520

verified

Claim 5: “The lead researcher in the study is Prof Mthokozisi Simelane, from the UJ department of biochemistry within the faculty of science.”

VERIFIED

Official University of Johannesburg profiles confirm Prof. Mthokozisi Simelane is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry.

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web search NEUTRAL — Biochemistry is the study of the chemical substances and vital processes occurring in live organisms. Biochemists focus heavily on the role, function, and structure of biomolecules. The study of the c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochemistry

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web search NEUTRAL — University of Johannesburg. Department of Biochemistry. Johannesburg, South Africa. Position.Mthokozisi Simelane. Aims: The aim of this work was to investigate the in vitro antibacterial activity of a…
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mthokozisi-Simelane-2

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web search NEUTRAL — Prof Mthokozisi Simelane. Professor, Biochemistry.Studies from University of Johannesburg Provide New Data on Malaria (The impact of Iso-mukaadial acetate on Plasmodium falciparum transcriptional gene…
https://pure.uj.ac.za/en/persons/mthokozisi-simelane/

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Claim 6: “Simelane said he and his co-researchers first isolated a promising chemical compound, called iso-mukaadial acetate, from the bark of Warburgia salutaris trees.”

CORROBORATED

Research papers and UJ profiles confirm that iso-mukaadial acetate was isolated from the stem bark of Warburgia salutaris by Prof. Simelane's team.

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Claim 7: “a bioprospecting permit, which is required in SA for commercial product development from traditional medicines using indigenous plants.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 8: “In a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal there grows a tree called Warburgia salutaris.”

VERIFIED

Kew Science explicitly states the native range of Warburgia salutaris extends to KwaZulu-Natal, and it is described as a shrub or tree.

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web search NEUTRAL — Warburgia salutaris is an evergreen Tree growing to 8 m (26ft) by 8 m (26ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy) a…
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Warburgia+salutar…

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web search NEUTRAL — Some medicinal plants are just too valuable for their own good. One of these in Southern Africa is the pepper bark tree, Warburgia salutaris (locally called ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzloQ_K3Gxs

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web search NEUTRAL — Warburgia salutaris (G.Bertol.) Chiov. First published in Nuovo Giorn.The native range of this species is Zimbabwe to KwaZulu-Natal. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tro…
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1…

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Claim 9: “At one stage, the species was listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Since then, several Southern African cultivation and large-scale conservation projects have managed to pull the species back to IUCN vulnerable status”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “the Walburgia salutaris tree contains several active chemical compounds in its leaves, roots and bark.”

CORROBORATED

Scientific literature confirms the presence of active compounds (such as drimane sesquiterpenoids) in the stem bark and other parts of the tree.

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web search NEUTRAL — Warburgia salutaris is a species of tree in the family Canellaceae. It is found in eastern and southern African locations e.g. Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, Esw…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warburgia_salutaris

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web search NEUTRAL — Warburgia salutaris is one of the most popular trees used in traditional medicine throughout tropical southeast Africa, because of its ability to treat a wide variety of illnesses caused by fungi, bac…
https://www.academia.edu/120902834/Antimicrobial_activity_of…

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web search NEUTRAL — The stem bark of Warburgia salutaris collected in Zoutpansberg mountains yielded a new drimane sesquiterpenoid lactone, salutarisolide, along with four known drimane sesquiterpenoids warburganal, muka…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273403523_Chemical_…

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Claim 11: “Simelane and his team are working on the product development of iso-mukaadial acetate as a complementary medicine for the treatment of diabetes in SA.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 12: “the tree is highly vulnerable to poaching throughout Southern Africa”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for this specific claim are completely irrelevant (referencing Umpqua Bank and Columbia Bank), providing no evidence regarding poaching.

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web search NEUTRAL — Securely Umpqua Bank Log in for personalized online banking services, including account monitoring, bill payments, and mobile features. Experience reliable financial tools tailored for your needs in t…
https://umpqabank.co.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us.
https://online.umpquabank.com/umpquabankonline/Uux.aspx

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web search NEUTRAL — Columbia Bank is here for you, now more than ever. Our local business and personal bankers have helped our communities for over 50 years. Join us today.
https://www.columbiabank.com/

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Claim 13: “The tree is used in popular traditional African medicine”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including a review of traditional uses and a YouTube series on medicinal plants of Southern Africa, confirm its use in traditional African medicine.

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web search NEUTRAL — The traditional uses of Warburgia species are referred to in. many folkloric and ethnobotanical studies done in eastAfrica showed that the leaves of W. salutaris are browsed. by hippos. Warburgia stuh…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258280260_The_genus…

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Claim 14: “he published a follow-up study where it was used to treat rats with induced diabetes. In the study, some blood cell issues caused by diabetes appeared to be improved.”

CORROBORATED

Google Scholar and UJ profiles link Prof. Simelane to a study on Iso-Mukaadial Acetate from W. salutaris enhancing glucose uptake in the L6 rat myoblast cell line, which relates to diabetes treatment.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mthokozisi Simelane. This study aimed to biosynthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using Pleurotus ostreatus to achieve a simple ecofriendly method, and further evaluate antimicrobial activity …
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mthokozisi-Simelane-2

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web search NEUTRAL — Based on funding mandates. Follow. Mthokozisi Simelane.2022. Iso-Mukaadial Acetate from Warburgia salutaris Enhances Glucose Uptake in the L6 Rat Myoblast Cell Line.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rWxGs_sAAAAJ&hl=en

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web search NEUTRAL — Prof. Mthokozisi B.C Simelane’s research centers on the exploration and development of plant-derived drugs and herbal medicines.He specializes in investigating bioactive compounds found in plants, foc…
https://www.uj.ac.za/members/dr-mthokozisi-simelane/

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Claim 15: “They have a licensing partnership with a pharmaceutical company, and are negotiating the licensing terms.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 16: “Amazwecehlabayo, isibhaha, manaka, molaka, mulanga, shibaha, muranga, and pepperbark are examples of names for the dried bark, stems and roots from mature Warburgia salutaris trees.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results to verify these specific local names.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.