Transcript Slide 1

AFRICA HERBAL ANTIMALARIA MEETING
Traditional Healers’ Approach
to Malaria Treatment
By
TOGBEGA DR. DABRA VI
(PHARMACIST, TRADITIONAL/ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE CONSULTANT, PARAMOUNT
CHIEF AND PRESIDENT/CEO OF PROMETRA GHANA NGO).
ICRAF NAIROBI, KENYA, 20 – 22 MARCH, 2006
INTRODUCTION
Malaria affects over 500 million people and kills more than two million each year.
Africa is most affected by malaria. With malaria, one African dies very 30 seconds.
From time immemorial, Traditional Healers have been treating and managing
malaria and other fevers with effective herbal medicine in Africa.
It is now clear that, some orthodox antimalarials such as Chloroquine have
become ineffective in the treatment of malaria. For this reason, WHO has
recommended Artemisinin–Amodiaquine combination for the treatment of malaria
in Africa.
Even during the Chloroquine therapy days, African healers were still treating
malaria with their herbal remedies. Combination treatment of malaria and other
diseases is not a new thing to the African Traditional Healer. That is what the
healer is used to. However, the Traditional Healer does not combine herbs with
chemicals. He will always caution his patient that “When taking this herbal
medication, do not take any orthodox medicine concurrently!” Therefore, in
looking for combination therapy for malaria, it is necessary to consult the African
Healers for the combination therapies they employ effectively in malaria treatment.
Traditional Medicine Clinic / Centre
In Ghana, Traditional Medicine practice has come of age especially in the
big towns and cities. One can easily walk into Herbal Clinics/Centers'
which are well equipped with modern laboratories and very hygienic
environment and get treatment comparable to Orthodox treatment.
This is one of such
Modern Traditional
Medicine Clinics in
Accra
This is the
dispensary of the
Herbal clinic
The Laboratory with some equipments
MALARIA SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
The signs and symptoms of Malaria that the Healer normally
looks for include:
Chills and Headaches that come and go
High temperature
General weakness
Loss of appetite
Bodily pains
Feverish conditions that reoccurs every 2 or 3 days
Nausea
Patient looking pale
Heavily sweating etc.
Treatment
First Aid / Supportive treatment options
(i) Cold bath or Sponging to reduce the temperature
(ii) Neem leaves steam inhalation and bath
(iii) Eucalyptus leaves steam inhalation and bath
Herbal Remedies treatment options for Malaria
(iv) Pawpaw leaves, Neem leaves/Bitter leaves, boiled together in
water and cooled.
30mls taken 3 x daily x 7 days
Cryptolepis roots boiled in water, cooled and sieved.
30mls to be taken 2 x daily x 7 days.
Products used for treatment and management of malaria
Some of the products used for treatment and management of
malaria include:
Nasra Tablets,
Malaherb Capsules/Mixture
Apamal Mixture
Nibima
Herbaquine
Alomal Mixture
Phyto-Laria Tea
All these which have gone through phytochemical analysis and Toxicological
Tests at the WHO - Collaborative Centre for Scientific Research Into Plant
Medicine and registered by the Food and Drugs Board of Ghana (FDB).
These groups of preparations have been found to destroy the plasmodium
Accra
Nutritional Supplements
You cannot talk of treating Malaria without food supplements.
The following products have been found to be beneficial in
treatment and management of malaria and other fevers.
Fruit juices
Vegetable juice
Pepper soups with spices and
Moringa powder
WHY COMBINATION THERAPY BY THE HEALER?
Indigenous /Traditional Science found out in several years of
experience in practice that in some cases it is only by combining
certain herbs in a remedy that the healing expected can be
achieved.
Each medicinal plant employed in the combination, helps to clear
one or more of the symptoms and hence the final
preparation/product heals the patient completely.
Selected Plants and their Medicinal Uses
Examples of some Medicinal Plants used as Constituents/Ingredients in the
antimalarial preparations but which may not have direct parasiticidal effect
on the plasmodium parasites.
Botanical Names
Common Names Local Names
Use
1
Alstonia boonei
(f: Ampocynaceae)
Pattern wood,
Stool wood
Siaketekre,
Nyame dua
Antipyretic,
Antirheumatic,
Antimalarial,
Antimicrobial
2
Vernonia amygdalina
(f: Compositae)
Bitter Leaf
Gboti,
Awonwene
Antipyretic,
Analgesic,
For upper
respiratory tract
infection
3
Piper guineense
(f: Piperaceae)
West African
black pepper
Kale,
Surowisa
Treatment of cough
4
Cryptolepis sanguinolenta Ghana quinine
(f: Piperaceae)
Kadze,
Nibima
Antimalarial,
Anti-inflammatory,
Antimicrobial
5
Botanical Names
Common Names
Local Names
Use
Zanthoxyhum
zanthoxyloides
Candle wood,
Zanthoxylum
Xe,
Okanto
Analgesic
Ginger
Nkrawusa,
Akakaduru
Febrifuge;
For cough and joint
pains
Lemon Grass
Tigbe,
Ti-ahaban
Febrifuge,
Antirheumatic
Lime Leaf
Mumoe,
Akankaa
Febrifuge
Bush tea
Afudoti,
Saanunum
Febrifuge
Mahogany bark
Logo,
Kuntunkuri
Febrifuge,
analgesic,
haematinic
African cucumber,
Bitter melon,
Bitter cucumber,
Bitter gourd
Kakle,
Nyinya
Febrifuge
(f : Rutacea)
6
Zingiber Officinale
(f: Zingiberaceae)
7
Cymbopogon citratus
(f: Graminae)
8
Citrus auranfifolia
(f: Rutaceae)
9
Lippia multiflora
(f: Verbenaceae)
10
Khaya senegalensis
(f: Meliaceae)
11
Momordica charantia
(f: Cucurbitaceae)
(for steam inhalation)
12
Botanical Names
Common Names Local Names
Use
Nuclea latifolia
African peach,
Guinea peach,
Country fig, Negro
peach
Nyimo,
Owentin
Febrifuge,
antipyretic
(f: Meliaceae)
Nim, Neem, Indian
lilac
Liliti,
Dua gyane
Antimalarial,
anti-inflammatory,
anti-pruritic
Cassia occidentalis
Negro Coffee
Devidevikpelimu,
Mmofraborodee
Febrifuge
Bebusui,
Onunum
Febrifuge
(f: Labiatae)
Fever plant, Fever
leaf,
tea bush, Mosquito
plant
Morinda lucida
Morinda
Ake,
Okonkroma
Febrifuge,
antimalarial,
fever
(f: Rubiaceae)
13
14
Azadiracta indica
(F; Caesalpinaceae)
15
16
Ocimum gratissimum
(f: Rubiaceae)
Modern Scientific Research
Most of these Medicinal Plants/herbs used in the treatment of
Malaria are undergoing scientific research in Ghana as well as some
other African countries. This is to help promote wider use of the
most effective herbal antimalarials.
Some of the healers are co-operating with the research scientists
by submitting their preparations to the Research Centres for
evaluation.
PREVENTION
The Traditional Healer, apart from being a physician, he is also a
counsellor. He understands perfectly the old adage which says,
“Prevention is better than cure”.
In the case of Malaria patient after he/she recovers the healer advises
him/her on the following:
Using mosquito nets when sleeping.
Keeping his or her surroundings clean and clears of old cans, stagnant
water and all breeding places of mosquito.
Avoiding mosquito bites by applying mosquito herb/plant ointment on the
skin when outside the room during evenings/nights
Burning lime/lemon/orange peels/mosquito plant on charcoal in the room
with windows and doors closed at least for one or two hours. Remove and
open windows at least one hour before going to bed.
NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE AND HERBAL MEDICINE
Ghana has launched National Health Insurance Scheme.
Essential Drugs List (orthodox) is in place. Users of theses drugs on
the list have their treatment covered by the scheme.
Through advocacy for Herbal Medicine to be covered by the
scheme, a committee has been put in place to come out with a list
of Herbal Medicines which have been scientifically evaluated at the
research institution and registered by the Food and Drugs Board.
When this Essential Certified Herbal Medicine List is drawn, users of
these medicines who are subscribers to the scheme will also enjoy
the benefit of the scheme just as users of the Orthodox medicine
will enjoy.
TRAINING
Traditional Healers are manufacturers as well as clinicians. There is
therefore the need for capacity building of healers by way of training to
equip them with skills to improve upon their practice.
PROMETRA Ghana NGO with support from UNDP New York has trained
some members of the Traditional Medicine Manufacturers Union in the
areas of:
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)
Standardisation and Quality Control of Herbal Medicines.
Some selected Herbal Medicine Clinicians will also be trained this year as
soon as funds are available.
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has
started B.Sc. course in Herbal Medicine. The first batch of these Herbal
Medicine Doctors graduated last academic year. This, I must admit is a
positive development
CONCLUSION
I wish to state that co-ordinated evaluation of
the various Herbal/Medicinal Plants used by our
healers in Africa can lead to safe and effective
herbal antimalarials capable of solving the
malaria menace in Africa and the World.
Healers, Research Scientists, Orthodox doctors
need to work together in the development of
our herbal medicines and in this case Herbal
Anti-Malarials.
Togbega Dr. Dabra VI
THANK YOU
President / CEO
PROMETRA GHANA
P.O. Box WJ 153
Weija, Accra, Ghana
Cel: +233-208150769
Tel: +233-21322330
e-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]