A review of the ethnomedicinal, pharmacology, cytotoxicity and phytochemistry of the genus Euphorbia in southern Africa

•Thirty-five (35) Euphorbia species are used as traditional medicines in southern Africa.•Of these 35 species, 27 of them are documented for medicinal use only in southern Africa.•Of these 35 species, pharmacological, cytotoxicity and phytochemical studies have been carried out only on 16, 19 and 9 species, respectively.