Senecio coronatus leaves and roots are commonly used in traditional medicine in South Africa as purification purgatives and enemas for infants during weaning. In traditional medicine the roots of the species are used. A suppository of the aqueous extract is given to infants to confer strength to the child during weaning. The species is commonly traded on the muthi market under the Zulu common names izonkozonko and ubulibazi.

Leaves of Senecio coronatus can be eaten as a vegetable.

Senecio coronatus was implicated in the illness and death of a number of babies a few years ago, but upon closer investigation it was found that the toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid that is present in other species of Senecio (e.g. S. latifolius) was absent from S. coronatus. It was therefore concluded that the S. coronatus concoction used to treat the babies contained some leaves of the toxic Senecio species, which lead to the death of the babies.