By Obiabin Onukwugha
Traditional medicine has been an effective method for treating ailments and plays a key role in keeping people alive and healthy in many local communities across Africa. Though this sector holds great potential for attracting medical tourism to the continent, governments have not yet taken up this idea due to a lack of strong political will.
Many local communities, especially those without access to medical health facilities, rely on the herbs around them to treat not just ailments but accident victims with broken bones and safe child deliveries among women.
My grandmother (now late), was a great midwife and traditional medicine healer for children. One of the days, a young girl was having a difficult childbirth labour, so my grandmother called me and said, let me show you a medicine.
She directed me to pluck a few of the leaves; then, I was between 9 and 10 years old. She then directed me to squeeze it into a bowl with a little water. My grandmother also directed me that as I squeeze, I should say, “run like a barracuda, don’t walk like a snail”. (Odual is made up of freshwater coastal communities with tributaries from the river Niger. The freshwater barracuda in Odual waters is smaller than that of the saltwater species. It usually flows in schools between April and May and can jump about five hundred metres long while on the move.)
So after a few minutes, she directed me to give the young lady a drink. I was still pouring the substance into the lady’s mouth when I heard the cry of the baby. She said whenever a woman is in hard labour, I should remember to use that leaf. A few years later, my grandmother joined her ancestors. I was too young then to understand that she was showing me a solution to difficult childbirth among women. Several years after when I grew into a woman and came to understand the import of medicine, seeing how some women go through CS or lose their lives in the course of giving birth to another life, I prayed for her to come show me the medicine in the dream, but I guess it’s too late, or that I have not prayed enough.
One great advantage of African traditional medicine is that it rarely has side effects for patients. Because it is 100% natural, it has multiple health benefits over and above the treatment of symptoms.
In recognising this, the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 20021, set aside 31 August every year to mark African Traditional Medicine Day. The aim is to honour the integral role of traditional medicine in the health and welfare of generations of people on the continent. The WHO estimated that around 80% of people in African countries rely on traditional medicine when they are ill.
Though, the practise has been variously criticised for not having scientific backing, there are those who have committed their time to telling the contributions of the African traditional medicine and it’s importance to human health.
One of such persons is Martin Odhiambo. Odhiambo, a young citizen of Kenya, who recently caught the interest of BBC has always been interested in the healing properties of plants and for years has been enthusiastically sharing this knowledge with fellow Kenyans.
The BBC reported that every Thursday at an amphitheatre at the Nairobi National Museum, Odhiambo will gather and talk to dozens of people who have come to learn and exchange information about traditional medicine.
Odhiambo is keen to let others know about plant remedies he believes can deal with common illnesses, such as colds, skin conditions and stomach upsets.
He argues that long before the advent of conventional medicine, there were traditional healers who knew from those before them what was good for treating which condition.
Odhiambo works for the Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (Ticah), which has formed a partnership with the museum, and is seen as a repository of the country’s cultural heritage. There he takes care of a special garden, known as a physic garden, which has more than 250 species of medicinal plants and these plants are not for sale but for education.
Odhiambo said for years he has studied medicinal plants, the scientific research as well as talking to the people who use them, soaking up so much folklore and indigenous knowledge that he says he now has “a tendency to dream about plants”.
At one of his Weekly Plant Talks, he sounds professorial, according to BBC, imparting his vast knowledge to all gathered, including herbalists, a midwife coming from the US, a psychologist, a teacher, a university student and a businesswoman. The talk starts with a prayer and a recap of what was learnt the previous week, and then quickly moves on to the plants of the day.
The initial focus is on Lantana camara – a common shrub that has different local names including “nyabende” and “mukige”.
Traditionally, it is said to treat headaches as well as ease toothaches – and can act as an insect repellent. Plus its twigs can be used as a toothbrush.
Lantana Camara is called “Ewonadele” in Yoruba, “Kimbamahalba” in Hausa, and “Anya nnunu” in Igbo
During the meetings, participants take turns to discuss, share and learn about a whole range of plant remedies for diverse health problems. They also talk about the cultural contexts in which the plants are used such as in traditional rites, food preservation or even their mystic powers that instil “goodwill” within a community.
Odhiambo organisation’s key mandate is to show the value of traditional medicine and amplify the voices of those who practice it.