"Without basic research, there is no applied research."
Professor Alvaro Viljoen, who leads the Herbal Drugs Research Unit under the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), said this in a keynote speech at the 1st Gangneung NP·BIO International Conference held on the afternoon of the 22nd at St. John's Hotel in Gangneung.
He said, "The essence of plant research is to protect human health and add value to society," and "The depth of basic science determines the breadth of industry."
Viljoen, an authority in natural products pharmacy, was selected in 2013 by the South African government as a National Research Chair in phytomedicine. On this day, under the theme "Thirty years of South African pharmacobotany—discovery, development, and reflection," he shared a research journey spanning more than 30 years.
Viljoen introduced South Africa as "a treasure trove of the planet's biodiversity and a research field where traditional knowledge is alive and breathing." He said, "South Africa has about 22,000 species of plants, of which about 3,000 are used in traditional treatments," and explained, "The combination of these biological resources and Indigenous knowledge is a vast laboratory for natural products research and the foundation of a sustainable bioeconomy."
Viljoen presented research outcomes pursued in collaboration with the South African Medical Research Council, the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), and the National Research Foundation (NRF), centered on the Phytomedicine and Phytopharmacology Research Group under Tshwane University of Technology. He stressed, "Our goal is not simply to develop drugs, but to create 'trustworthy natural products medicines' whose safety, quality, and efficacy are scientifically proven," adding, "Government investment and international cooperation are essential for this."
He cited representative South African traditional medicinal plants. Aloe (Aloe ferox), Devil's Claw of the sesame family, and Sceletium (Sceletium tortuosum) are plants long used by Indigenous communities, but in recent years they have entered the global market through modern standardization research and clinical evaluations. He said, "Research on these plants is not mere biological curiosity; it is leading to local jobs and industry creation," adding, "This shows that the bioeconomy can become a pillar of national growth."
Viljoen also pointed out the ethical and environmental challenges facing the natural products industry. He said, "The commercialization of biological resources must consider ecosystem conservation and the rights of local communities together," and "Fair benefit-sharing, sustainable harvesting, and quality control must be both the starting point and the destination of research." Introducing South Africa's system for access and benefit-sharing of biological resources and cases of international cooperation, he added, "I hope such systems will expand into cooperative models with other countries, including Korea."