Dr Quinton Johnson, Director of The International Centre for Innovation Partnerships in Science (TICIPS), University of the Western Cape, in his presentation to the Committee on the need for translation of indigenous knowledge to innovation for the bio-economy, further commented on this matter. He identified phytomedicines, or medicines derived from plants, as going to be increasingly important as adaptogens, or medicine that would help the body react to a wide variety of challenges and enable the immune system to fight off infections more effectively. Therefore, he argued that interfacing with the South African Medicines Control Council became important in the process of registering a plant to a medicine. He reflected on his organisation's interactions with the Medicines Control Council on submissions for the approval of clinical trials and stressed that a faster turn-around time on responses to those approvals would be welcomed.