It was recently reported by News24 that the Ministry of Higher
Education, Science and Technology has indicated, somewhat in
passing, that it will be reassigning funds toward researching the
possible efficacy of traditional medicines against Covid-19.
Traditional medicines form part of that body of information
which is commonly referenced in the intellectual property community
as "traditional knowledge".
The announcement was made against the background of a suggestion
by the president of Madagascar, that a local Madagascan herb,
artemisia, has allegedly been found to be useful in fighting
Covid-19 in that country. The President, in fact, heralded
this herb as a possible cure for the disease.
