Professor

Ben-Erik van Wyk

FAAS
Born (1956-12-27) December 27, 1956 (age 66)
Bellville, South Africa
EducationStellenbosch University (BSc, MSc)
University of Cape Town (PhD)
Known forHypocalypteae, Leobordea platycarpa, Stirtonanthus, Leobordea, Wiborgiella, Choritaenia
Scientific career
FieldsBotany
Traditional African medicine
Taxonomy
Chemotaxonomy
Ethnobotany
InstitutionsUniversity of Johannesburg
Rand Afrikaans University
ThesisA taxonomic study of the genus Lotononis (DC.) Eckl. & Zeyh.(Fabzceae, Crotalarieae) (1989)
Websitehttp://www.ben-erikvanwyk.com/

Ben-Erik van Wyk FAAS (born 27 December 1956 in Bellville) is a South African professor of indigenous botany and traditional African medicine at the University of Johannesburg.

Early life and education

Ben-Erik van Wyk was born on 27 December 1956 in Bellville, South Africa.[1] In 1979, he received a Bachelor of Science from Stellenbosch University in Forestry and Nature Conservation. In 1983, he graduated cum laude with a Master of Science. In 1989, he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Cape Town.[2][3][4]

Career and research

Since 1984, Van Wyk has been teaching at the Rand Afrikaans University, where he has been a professor since 1990. Since 2005 he has been a professor at the Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology, University of Johannesburg, where the Rand Afrikaans University has been absorbed.[5][6][4]

Van Wyk researches African plant plant classification (taxonomy[7] and chemotaxonomy[8]) particularly for Apiaceae,[9] Fabaceae,[10] Aloe,[11][12] and Asphodelaceae.[13][14] In addition, he focuses on medicinal plants and ethnobotany,[15][16] including the ethnobotany of Khoisan[17] and Afrikaners from the Western Cape.[18][19] He is also involved in quality control and product development of medicinal plant products and crop development.[20][21][22][23]

Through 600 vibrant photographs of more than 120 distinct culinary herbs, spices, and flavourings that Van Wyk has collected from the distant reaches; his books[24] transport us back to the earliest uses of spices by ancient civilisations and lead us on a journey of discovery from Ethiopia to China.[25][26][27]

Van Wyk is a member of several organizations, including the Aloe Council of South Africa (Chair), the American Society of Plant Taxonomists, the Botanical Society of America, the Indigenous Plant Use Forum (Chair since 1996),[28] the Association for African Medicinal Plant Standards, Briza Publications CC, and the Presidential Task Team on African Traditional Medicine.[29][30][31] He is a Member of the Editorial Board of the South African Journal of Botany, the Official Journal of the South African Association of Botanists.[32]

Awards and honours

Van Wyk has received several awards, including the Schlich Medal in 1980, the FRD President's Award in 1991, the Havenga prize for Biology from the South African Academy of Science and Art in 2006, the Silver Medal from the South African Association of Botanists in 2007,[33] and the Medal of Honor from the Faculty of Natural Science and Technology of the South African Academy of Science and Art in 2011.[4][2]

Van Wyk was elected a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences in 2013.[30]

Publications

Scholia has a profile for Ben-Erik van Wyk (Q2024682).

Van Wyk has (co-)authored more than two hundred articles in scientific journals and (co-)authored more than 180 botanical names. His books and commentary[34][35] have been published in Afrikaans, German, Polish and Korean, in addition to the English-language editions.[6][30][36]

The standard author abbreviation B.-E.van Wyk is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.[37]

References

  1. ^ "1092541". viaf.org. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  2. ^ a b (PDF). 2017-09-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20170904011127/https://www.uj.ac.za/faculties/science/botany/Documents/Ben-Erik%20van%20Wyk_CV.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-04. Retrieved 2022-12-27. ((cite web)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ "ORCID". orcid.org. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  4. ^ a b c "Ben-Erik van Wyk". www.stellenboschwriters.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  5. ^ "Ben-Erik van Wyk, Timber Press author". 2016-02-02. Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  6. ^ a b "Prof Ben-Erik van Wyk". University of Johannesburg. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  7. ^ Phytomedicines, Herbal Drugs, and Poisons. University of Chicago Press.
  8. ^ Steenkamp, P. A.; Harding, N. M.; van Heerden, F. R.; van Wyk, B. -E. (2004-10-04). "Fatal Datura poisoning: identification of atropine and scopolamine by high performance liquid chromatography/photodiode array/mass spectrometry". Forensic Science International. 145 (1): 31–39. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2004.03.011. ISSN 0379-0738. PMID 15374592.
  9. ^ Calviño, Carolina I.; Tilney, Patricia M.; Wyk, Ben‐Erik; Downie, Stephen R. (2006-12-01). "A molecular phylogenetic study of southern African Apiaceae". American Journal of Botany. 93 (12): 1828–1847. doi:10.3732/ajb.93.12.1828. ISSN 0002-9122. PMID 21642128.
  10. ^ van Wyk, B-E.; Albrecht, C. (2008-10-28). "A review of the taxonomy, ethnobotany, chemistry and pharmacology of Sutherlandia frutescens (Fabaceae)". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Ethnobotany in South Africa. 119 (3): 620–629. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2008.08.003. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 18761068.
  11. ^ Dagne, E.; Bisrat, D.; Viljoen, A.; van Wyk, B.E. (2000-10-01). "Chemistry of Aloe Species". Current Organic Chemistry. 4 (10): 1055–1078. doi:10.2174/1385272003375932.
  12. ^ Chen, Weiyang; Van Wyk, Ben-Erik; Vermaak, Ilze; Viljoen, Alvaro M. (2012-03-01). "Cape aloes—A review of the phytochemistry, pharmacology and commercialisation of Aloe ferox". Phytochemistry Letters. 5 (1): 1–12. Bibcode:2012PChL....5....1C. doi:10.1016/j.phytol.2011.09.001. ISSN 1874-3900.
  13. ^ Viljoen, Alvaro; van Vuuren, Sandy; Ernst, Erika; Klepser, Michael; Demirci, Betűl; Başer, Husnu; van Wyk, Ben-Erik (2003-10-01). "Osmitopsis asteriscoides (Asteraceae)-the antimicrobial activity and essential oil composition of a Cape-Dutch remedy". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 88 (2): 137–143. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(03)00191-0. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 12963133.
  14. ^ Van Wyk, Ben-Erik (2002). Poisonous plants of South Africa. Fanie Van Heerden, Bosch Van Oudtshoorn (1st ed.). Pretoria: Briza Publications. ISBN 978-1-875093-30-4. OCLC 51046239.
  15. ^ van Wyk, B. -E. (2008-10-28). "A review of Khoi-San and Cape Dutch medical ethnobotany". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Ethnobotany in South Africa. 119 (3): 331–341. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2008.07.021. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 18703129.
  16. ^ Van Wyk, B. -E.; de Wet, H.; Van Heerden, F. R. (2008-11-01). "An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in the southeastern Karoo, South Africa". South African Journal of Botany. 74 (4): 696–704. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2008.05.001. ISSN 0254-6299.
  17. ^ Mhlongo, L. S.; Van Wyk, B. -E. (2019-05-01). "Zulu medicinal ethnobotany: new records from the Amandawe area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa". South African Journal of Botany. Ethnobotany. 122: 266–290. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2019.02.012. ISSN 0254-6299. S2CID 146062047.
  18. ^ van Wyk, B. -E. (2008-10-28). "A review of Khoi-San and Cape Dutch medical ethnobotany". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Ethnobotany in South Africa. 119 (3): 331–341. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2008.07.021. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 18703129.
  19. ^ Van Wyk, Ben-Erik (2000). People's plants : a guide to useful plants of Southern Africa. Nigel Gericke (1st ed.). Pretoria, South Africa: Briza Publications. ISBN 1-875093-19-2. OCLC 43265207.
  20. ^ Van Wyk, Ben-Erik (1997). Medicinal plants of South Africa. Bosch Van Oudtshoorn, Nigel Gericke (1st ed.). Pretoria: Briza Publications. ISBN 1-875093-09-5. OCLC 38101658.
  21. ^ Wyk, Ben-Erik van; Wink, Michael (2018-10-31). Medicinal Plants of the World. CABI. ISBN 978-1-78639-325-8.
  22. ^ van Wyk, B. -E. (2008-10-28). "A broad review of commercially important southern African medicinal plants". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Ethnobotany in South Africa. 119 (3): 342–355. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2008.05.029. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 18577439.
  23. ^ Van Wyk, B. -E. (2011-10-01). "The potential of South African plants in the development of new medicinal products". South African Journal of Botany. Special issue on Economic Botany. 77 (4): 812–829. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2011.08.011. ISSN 0254-6299.
  24. ^ Wyk, Ben-Erik van (2014-09-26). Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-09183-9.
  25. ^ Dugmore, Heather. "Spice up your knowledge on herbs". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  26. ^ Heathcock, Kit (2022-06-17). "SCENTS & SENSIBILITY: A taste of fynbos – exploring South Africa's indigenous culinary herbs". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  27. ^ Fabricant, Florence (2014-02-11). "A Cooking Class, an Herb Book and a Special Cod". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  28. ^ Johannesburg, University of. "Why wild African fruits can supplement low protein staple foods". phys.org. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  29. ^ "Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries". kiki.huh.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  30. ^ a b c "Van Wyk Ben-Erik | The AAS". www.aasciences.africa. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  31. ^ "Ben-Erik van Wyk - Professor of Botany". app.ckbk.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  32. ^ "Editorial board - South African Journal of Botany | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  33. ^ "SAAB Award Recipients". South African Association of Botanists. 2018-08-11. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  34. ^ "Invasives and Natives: Hello aloe". South Coast Herald. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  35. ^ Uys, Fredalette. "Vrae oor bestuursplan vir bitteraalwyn, heuningbos". Landbou (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  36. ^ "Ben-Erik van Wyk". University of Chicago Press. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  37. ^ International Plant Names Index.  B.-E.van Wyk.

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