"Conference presentations serve as a catalyst for intellectual exchange, sparking new ideas, challenging existing paradigms, and inspiring innovative research directions, ultimately driving progress in academia." - Dr. David Brown
Invited /Keynote Lectures
Explore a comprehensive range of topics presented at national and international conferences. Through this global footprint, I strive to act as an ambassador of the medicinal and aromatic plants of South Africa, exploring their phytochemistry and unlocking the therapeutic potential of plant-based medicines.
2020 - Present
2010 - 2019
2000 - 2009
2020 - Present
| Conference / meeting | Year | Venue | Title of presentation |
| 12th International Mediterranean Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MESMAP-12) | 2026 | Bangkok, Thailand | Healing through beauty: African medicinal flora in wellness and skincare |
| 1st Gangneung (ASLLA) [NP·BIO] International Conference | 2025 | Gangneung, Korea | Pharmacognosy in South Africa: thirty years of discovery, development, and reflection |
| 6th Annual CNPD Conference | 2025 | Liverpool, UK | Modernizing African herbal medicine: The role of analytical pharmacognosy and evidence-based ethnopharmacology |
| 23rd Annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals (ICSB) and 25th International Congress of the International Society of Ethnopharmacology (ISE) | 2025 | Mississippi, USA | African traditional medicine – Challenges and opportunities in the globalization of an ancient healing modality |
| 55th annual meeting and symposium of KSP | 2024 | Seoul, Korea | The application of classic and modern pharmacognosy in monographing African traditional medicines |
| 23rd International Congress of The International Society for Ethnopharmacology and the 2nd International Congress of the African Phytomedicine Scientific Society (ISE-APSS2024) | 2024 | Cape Town, South Africa | Medicinal plant research in South Africa – A celebratory travelogue |
| 54th International Symposium on Essential Oils (ISEO 2024), | 2024 | Balatonalmádi, Hungary | The value of having a multidisciplinary approach to essential oil research – reflecting on two decades of studying the medicinalaromatic flora of South Africa |
| 22nd International Conference on the Science of Botanicals (ICSB) and 7th World Congress of Medicinal Aromatic Plants (WOCMAP) | 2024 | Mississippi, USA | The medicinal and aromatic flora of South Africa – the opportunity, progress, and challenges |
| International Ethnopharmacology Congress: 22nd International Congress of International Society for Ethnopharmacology (ISE) & the 10th International Congress of the Society for Ethnopharmacology (SFE) (ISE-SFEC 2023) | 2023 | Imphal, Manipur, India | Compiling the first South African Herbal Pharmacopoeia – an important step in the globalisation of South African medicinal plants |
| Six International Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (S.I.P.A.M 6) | 2023 | Djerba, Tunisia | Evidence-based ethnopharmacology — exampies from the South African flora |
| 9th International Mediterranean Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MESMAP-9) | 2023 | Ankara,Turkey | Evidence-based ethnopharmacology – examples from the South African flora |
| 24th International Congress (Phytopharm 2023) | 2023 | Saint-Petersburg, Russia | Evidence-based ethnopharmacology – examples from the South African flora |
| 71st International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA) | 2023 | Dublin, Ireland | Evidence-based ethnopharmacology – an import step towards the globalization of African Traditional Medicines |
| 25th Indigenous Plant Use Forum | 2023 | Skukuza, South Africa | The South African medicinal plant research landscape – reflecting on the past 25 years |
| 12th Conference of SEB – K and 5th International Conference of NAPRECA – K | 2023 | Virtually | Evidence-based ethnopharmacology – an import step in the globalization of African Traditional Medicines |
| The 3rd International Conference on Natural Health (ICONAHE) | 2023 | Algeria | Evidence-based ethnopharmacology – an import step in the globalization of African Traditional Medicines |
| International Conference on Medicinal and Food Plant Research & 3rd Sino-CPLP Symposium on Natural Products and Biodiversity Resources | 2021 | Hanzhong, China | Challenges in the quality control and standardization of herbal raw materials and consumer products – status quo vs innovation and relevance |
| 20th International congress of the international society for Ethnopharmacology | 2021 | Virtual Congress | The application of classic and modern pharmacognosy in the study of African traditional medicines |
| 23rd Indigenous Plant Use Forum 2021 (IPUF) | 2021 | Virtually – University of Johannesburg | The application of classic and modern pharmacognosy in monographing African traditional medicines – a botanical travelogue |
| International Conference on Quality Control and Authentication of Herbal Material and Products | 2021 | Virtually –Hong Kong | The Application of Classic and Modern Pharmacognosy in Monographing African Traditional Medicines – A Botanical Travelogue |
2010 - 2019
| Conference / meeting | Year | Venue | Title of presentation |
| Second Austrian Summit on Natural Products | 2019 | Seefeld, Austria | Evidence-based African natural medicines – exploring the synergy between ancient wisdom and modern science |
| The 5th International Mediterranean Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants & The 5th International Symposium on Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences JOINT MEETING” | 2019 | Cappadocia, Turkey | Evidence-based African natural medicines – exploring the synergy between ancient wisdom and modern science |
| 14th International Congress on Complementary Medicine Research, – ICCMR2019 | 2019 | Brisbane, Australia | Where ancient knowledge and modern science meets – examples from the ethnopharmacology of African traditional medicines |
| 67th International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural (GA 2019), | 2019 | Innsbruck, Austria | The application of classic and modern pharmacognosy in monographing African traditional medicines – a botanical travelogue |
| 50th International symposium on essential oils | 2019 | Vienna, Austria | The impact of plant volatiles on bacterial quorum sensing (Vienna, Austria) |
| 67th International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural (GA 2019), | 2019 | Innsbruck, Austria | The application of classic and modern pharmacognosy in monographing African traditional medicines – a botanical travelogue |
| 50th International symposium on essential oils | 2019 | Vienna, Austria | The impact of plant volatiles on bacterial quorum sensing |
| 7th World Integrative Medicine Congress (WIMCO 2019) | 2019 | Jinan, China | Challenges in the quality control and standardization of herbal raw materials and consumer products – status quo vs innovation and relevance |
| The 2nd World Conference of Science and Technology of TCM & Ceremony of International Award for Contribution to Chinese Medicine-Achievement Award in Medical Science | 2019 | Fuzhou, China | Challenges in the quality control and standardization of herbal raw materials and consumer products – status quo vs innovation and relevance |
| International Synergy Forum 2018 | 2018 | Bonn, Germany | Synergy, a modern concept based on ancient wisdom – examples from African Traditional Medicines |
| Analitika Conference | 2018 | Limpopo, South Africa | Challenges in developing a South African herbal Pharmacopeia – A national priority |
| International Conference on Medicinal Plants and Bioeconomy (ICMPB) & The 1st Sino-CPLP Symposium on Natural Products and Biodiversity Resources (SNPBR) | 2018 | Macau, China | Macau Challenges in globalizing African traditional medicines – the journey of Sceletium (keynote) |
| The 66th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA) | 2018 | Shanghai, China | 1H-NMR and UPLC-MS metabolomics: functional tools for exploring chemotypic variation in Sceletium tortuosum from two provinces in South Africa? (poster) |
| African Traditional And Natural Product Medicine Conference | 2018 | Limpopo, South Africa | Challenges and opportunities in the globalisation of African traditional medicines: a South African perspective |
| 18th Annual Oxford International Conference (ICSB) | 2018 | Oxford, Mississippi | Synergy, a modern concept based on ancient wisdom – examples from African Traditional Medicines |
| 17th Annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals (ICSB), | 2017 | Oxford, Mississippi | Quality control and pharmacological activity – Bridging the chasm |
| 21st International Congress and 10th Anniversary of the TCM Research Center Graz | 2017 | Graz, Austria | Where ancient knowledge and modern science meets – examples from the South African flora |
| XI Brazilian Symposium of Pharmacognosy | 2017 | Curitiba, PR, Brazil, | The pivotal role of modern pharmacognosy in the quality control of herbal medicines |
| 65th International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Plant and Natural Product (GA Basel) | 2017 | Basel, Switzerland | The pivotal role of modern pharmacognosy in the quality control of herbal medicines |
| 10th International Symposium on Chromatography of Natural Products | 2016 | Lublin, Poland | Quality control and pharmacological activity – Bridging the chasm |
| The Southern African Biochemistry and Informatics for Natural Products (SABINA) | 2016 | Mpumalanga, South Africa | Challenges and opportunities in the globalization of African Traditional Medicines – a South African perspective |
| 2nd International Congress of Society for Ethnopharmacology | 2015 | Nagpar, India | Could metabolomics offer a solution to the quality control conundrum? |
| Inaugural Symposium of the Phytochemical Society of Asia 2015 | 2015 | Tokushima, Japan | Challenges and opportunities in the globalisation of African traditional medicines – a South African perspective. |
| 46th International Symposium on Essentials Oils | 2015 | Lublin, Poland | PL-X. Scents of Africa – exploring the aromatic flora in a botanical utopia. |
| 2nd International Conference on Natural Products Utilization: From Plants to Pharmacy Shelf (ICNPU 2015) | 2015 | Plovdiv, Bulgaria | Innovative analytical methods in the quality control of raw plant material and herbal products. |
| The 5th International Conference on Natural Products for Health and Beauty | 2014 | Phuket, Thailand | Challenges and opportunities in the globalization of African traditional medicines-A South African perspective |
| 8th Conference on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Southeast European Countries | 2014 | Durres, Albania | South Africa’s medicinal and aromatic flora – opportunities for science and industry |
| 9th International Symposium On Chromatography of Natural Products | 2014 | Lublin, Poland | Chemometrics-the analytical chemist’s GPS through the phytochemical maze |
| 3rd Annual Meeting of the GP-TCM Research Association & 5th Annual Meeting of the TCM Pharmaceutical Analysis Specialty Committee of WFCMS | 2014 | Nanjing, China | Looks may be deceiving – exposing taxonomic similarity through chemometric modeling of analytical data. |
| Annual Meeting of The American Society of Pharmacognosy | 2014 | Mississippi, USA | Challenges and Opportunities in the Globalisation of African Traditional Medicines – A South African Perspective. |
| 12th Annual Oxford International Conference on the Science of Botanicals | 2013 | Oxford, USA | Standardisation and quality control of herbal medicinal products – Does vibrational spectroscopy offer the solution? |
| Annual Meeting of the American Society of Pharmacognosy | 2013 | St Louis, USA | Transforming ancient knowledge into phytomedicines – a South African perspective |
| International Conference on Natural Products Utilization | 2013 | Bansko, Bulgaria | Challenges and opportunities in developing modern phytomedicines based on ancient knowledge – examples from the South African flora |
| VIII International Symposium of Pharmacognosy | 2012 | Ilheus, Brazil | Where ancient knowledge and modern science meets – examples from the South African Flora |
| 8th International Symposium on Chromatography of Natural Products | 2012 | Lublin, Poland | Vibrational spectroscopy and chromatography: a powerful duo in the quality assessment of herbal medicines |
| 13th International Congress of the Society for Ethnopharmacology | 2012 | Graz, Austria | African medicinal and aromatic plants for treating age-related disorders |
| The 3rd International Symposium on Medicinal Plants | 2012 | Petra, Jordan | Standardization and quality control of herbal Medicines |
| Modernization and Internationalization of TCM | 2012 | Shanghai, China | Analytical methods and chemometric modeling in the quality control of traditional medicines |
| 42nd International Symposium on Essential Oils | 2011 | Antalya, Turkey | South Africa’s aromatic flora – reflecting on a decade of research |
| 3rd Brazilian Conference of Natural Products | 2011 | Ouro Preto, Brazil | South Africa’s medicinal and aromatic flora – reflecting on achievements and opportunities |
| Asian Aroma Ingredients Congress | 2010 | New Delhi, India | South Africa’s aromatic flora – an Eden of unexplored opportunity |
| 44th Journées Galéniques de St. Rémy de Provence | 2010 | St Remy, France | Aromatic plants from South Africa and their constituents as a model to study phyto-synergy (invited prestigious lecture) |
| 58th International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research | 2010 | Berlin, Germany | South Africa’s medicinal flora – abundant opportunities and daunting challenges |
2000 - 2009
| Conference / meeting | Year | Venue | Title of presentation |
| 5th International Conference on Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences | 2009 | Potchefstroom, South Africa | Cosmeceuticals in the quest for the body beautiful |
| 39th International Symposium on Essential Oils | 2008 | Quedlinburg, Germany | South Africa’s aromatic flora – an Eden of unexplored opportunity |
| World Conference on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants IV | 2008 | Cape Town, South Africa | South Africa’s medicinal and aromatic flora – a treasure chest of opportunities for science and industry |
| 38th International Symposium on Essential Oils | 2007 | Graz, Austria | Maximizing opportunity – the value of having a multidisciplinary approach to researching the aromatic flora of South Africa. |
| Phytochemical Society of Europe | 2007 | Cambridge, United Kingdom | Maximizing phytochemical information – examples from the South African flora |
| 4th International Conference on Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences | 2006 | Vanderbijlpark, South Africa | Pharmacognosy – the pitfalls and challenges of a unique research opportunity in South Africa |
| ASNAPP | 2006 | Stellenbosch, South Africa | South Africa – a global epicentre for research on aromatic plants |
| Cosmetic Society of South Africa | 2004 | Midrand, South Africa | The in vitro biological activity of South African plants used topically in traditional healing to treat infection and inflammation |
| International Aloe Science Council (IASC) | 2000 | Dallas, Texas, USA | Defining chemotypes in Aloe and the value of compiling a chromatographic atlas for the genus Aloe |
