Healing Plants of Nigeria

Ethnomedicine and Therapeutic Applications

Anselm Adodo, Maurice M. Iwu

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9780429804472
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Pharmacology

Healing Plants of Nigeria: Ethnomedicine and Therapeutic Applications offers comprehensive information on the use of herbal medicines in West Africa. Combining an evidence-based, ethnobotanical perspective with a pharmacological and pharmaceutical approach to phytomedicine, the book bridges the gap between the study of herbal plants' pharmacological properties and active compounds for the development of clinical drugs and community-oriented approaches, emphasising local use. It demonstrates how the framework of African traditional medicine can be preserved in a contemporary clinical context.

The book outlines the history and beliefs surrounding the traditional use of herbs by the local population alongside their application in contemporary phytotherapy in Nigeria and West Africa. It features a critical assessment of the scientific rationale behind the use of these plants in ethnomedicine and offers a composite catalogue of phytotherapeutic and wellness agents, detailing the safety profile, efficacy, and scientific integrity of plants used to treat diseases and optimise health.

Features:

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• An ethnobotanical survey containing over 200 full-colour photographs of Nigerian and West African plants.

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• A unique combination of ethnobotany and pharmacognosy, bridging the divide between pharmaceutical and community-oriented approaches to herbal medicine research.

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• Contextual discussion of the therapeutic potential of Nigerian herbal medicine.

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• Offers a template which can be used to separate the superstitious aspects of ethnomedicine from culturally inherited deposits of knowledge.

A handbook for herbal and natural medicine practitioners, the book is aimed at African thinkers, scientists, healthcare providers and students of pharmacology and ethnomedicine.

Part One

1 The Practice
of Medicine
in Africa

1.1 Introduction

Africa is home to diverse and innumerable tribes, ethnic and social groups. Some represent huge populations, consisting of millions of people, while others are smaller groups of a few thousand. Some countries have over 100 different ethnic groups (for example Nigeria, with more than 250 ethnic groups), with different culturally based values and belief systems. In all African societies during the early epoch, some 200,000 year ago, the individual at every stage of life had a series of duties and obligations to others in society, as well as a set of rights, namely things that he or she could expect or demand from other individuals. Age and sex were the most important factors determining the extent of a person’s rights and obligations. The oldest members of the society were highly respected and usually in positions of authority, and the idea of seniority through age was reflected in the presence of age-graded groups in a great many African societies.

Plants have formed the basis of sophisticated traditional medicine practices that have been used for thousands of years by people in China, India, Nigeria, and many other countries (Farnsworth and Soejarto, 1991). Perhaps as early as Neanderthal man, plants were believed to have healing power. The earliest records of civilization, from the ancient cultures of Africa, China, Egypt, and the Indus Valley reveal evidence in support of the use of herbal medicine (Baqar, 2001). These include the Atharva Veda, which is the basis for Ayurvedic medicine in India (dating back to 2000 years Before The Current Era, BCE), the clay tablets in Mesopotamia (1700 BCE), and the Eber Papyrus in Egypt (1550 BCE). Other famous literature sources on medicinal plants include “De materia medica”, written by Dioscorides between CE 60 and 78, and Jing’s classic of Chinese traditional medicine, the “Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica” (written around 200 CE) (Joy et al., 1998).

1.2 History and Practice of Traditional African Medicine

As with food technology, Africans had evolved their medical technology long before colonialism. According to Andah (1992), from very early times, Africans used plants as curatives and palliatives for various ailments. Successful treatments became formalised, sometimes with prescriptions outlining the correct methods of preparation and dosage. Andah (1992) stated that, in many cases, patients were cured of their physical or psychological ailments. African traditional medicine is ancient and is perhaps the most diverse of all medicinal systems. Africa is considered to be the cradle of humankind, with a rich biological and cultural diversity, and marked regional differences in healing practices. African traditional medicine, in its varied forms, is holistic, involving both the body and the mind. The healer typically diagnoses and treats the psychological basis of an illness before prescribing medicines to treat the symptoms.

Generally speaking, the methods applied by African traditional healers are similar across the continent, although the plants used and the therapeutic values attributed to them are dependent on various factors. Some of these factors are geographical, sociological, and economic, and transcend ethnic, national, and political boundaries. According to Onu (1999), indigenous medical technology in Africa has developed not only drugs and surgical skills for fighting ailments but is also founded on a rational and coherent body of knowledge, which can be used to train specialists in the treatment of various diseases and disorders. Traditional medical practice in Africa has developed since antiquity to the stage of setting bones, treating mental disorders and even conducting relatively complicated operations such as caesarean sections. A picture of indigenous medical practice in Africa is, therefore, a picture of specialists trained in the acquisition of an impressive wealth of knowledge around herbs and other materials of therapeutic value. Through inspiration, observation, and experiments involving trial and error, the medical value of the plant kingdom, minerals, and certain animals was gradually realised and exploited.

Plant-based medicine is so prominent in Africa that a distinct class of practitioners has emerged, with a thorough knowledge of the medicinal properties of plants and the pharmaceutical steps necessary to turn them into drugs. In addition to herbal materials, minerals such as clay, salt, stone, and many other substances have been used as raw ingredients in indigenous pharmaceutical practice. Ubrurhe (2003) drew attention to the lzon ethnic group of the Niger Delta in Nigeria, whose environment does not permit the growth of many herbs, and who, as an alternative, specialise in massage. According to Ubrurhe (2003), this therapeutic system has been employed for the treatment of ailments of the nervous, muscular, and osseous systems, as well as for treating gynaecological problems. The armamentarium of the masseur is the physical manipulation of the muscles, joints, and veins through the bare skin. In most cases, massage treatment may be applied to relax the muscles and veins, as well as to improve circulation of blood. Ubrurhe (2003) concluded that this therapeutic method has spread to the lzon’s neighbours, the Urhobo, the lsoko, and the Itsekiri.

Writing on hydrotherapy, Ubrurhe (2003) contended that its curative value is realised by both the practitioner and those who have undergone such treatment, and more recentl...