Sutherlandia (Lessertia) is a small shrub with beautiful red flowers and large bladder-like pods. It grows in dry regions of Southern Africa and was named after James Sutherland, the first Superintendent of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. There are many varieties, but we are using the Frutescens variety, which means 'bushy' in Latin.
Sutherlandia has many other names in many other cultures that give us an indication of its uses. Here are just a few of them, and some anecdotes too:
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Kankerbos ('cancerbush') in Afrikaans
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Motlepelo ('bringing back the light') in Sotho
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Lerumo-lamadi ('the spear for the blood') in North Sotho
The ancient Zulu name is Insiswa, which translates as 'the one which dispels the darkness'. The wives of slain Zulu warriors used to take Sutherlandia to ease their grief.
Sutherlandia is an attractive small, soft wooded shrublet, 0.5 to 1 m in height. The leaves are pinnately compound. The leaflets are 4-10 mm long, grey-green in colour, giving the bush a silvery appearance. They have a very bitter taste. The flowers are orange-red, up to 35 mm long, and are carried in short racemes in the leaf axils at the tips of the branches in spring to mid-summer (September - December). The flowers are not typical 'pea' flowers, the wing petals are very small and are concealed in the calyx, and the standard petal is much shorter than the keel. The fruit is a large, bladder-like, papery inflated pod and is almost transparent. It can be used in dry flower arrangements as it dries well, maintaining its colour and form.
Sutherlandia contains many secondary plant substances which can be a important component of our alimentation. Together with vitamin C and zinc they can support the body's defences.
Each vegetarian capsule contains 580 mg of Sutherlandia frutescens plus 10 mg vitamin C and 1,14 mg Zinc
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