Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Outside their cultural setting, African medicinal plants play significant roles in modern medi-
cine either as vegetable drugs or sources of active leads for drug development. Many modern phar-
maceuticals and everyday herbs owe their origin to Africa. Examples include the antileukemic
plant-drug
Catharanthus roseus
;
Rauvolfia vomitoria,
noted for its antihypertensive, antiarrhyth-
mic, and antipsychotic activities; and Calabar bean
Physostigma venonosum,
the source of the
glaucoma drug physostigmine, which is currently being evaluated for the treatment of Alzheimer's
disease. Several other African plants are sold as phytomedicines and nutraceuticals in herb shops
all over the world. Major examples include
Agathosma betulina
(buchu oil),
Aloe ferox
(aloe bitters),
Aspalanthus linearis
(rooibos tea),
Cyclopia
species (honeybush tea),
Harpagophytum procum-
bens
(devil's claw),
Artemisia afra
(African worm-wood),
Scilla natalensis
(inguduza),
Warburgia
salutaris
(Bhaha),
Garcinia kola
,
Irvingia gabonensis
,
Moringa oleifera
,
Catha edulis
,
Taber nathe
iboga
,
Cola
species,
Coffee arabica,
and
Pygium africanum
. These plants and several other species
are articles of trade in the celebrated “muti” shops. In the horticultural and perfumery industry,
African plants are much prized for their aesthetic value and significance. Many scientific groups are
currently exploring African flora for new compounds with pharmacological activities. Such efforts
have led to the isolation of many biologically active molecules, which are in various stages of devel-
opment as pharmaceuticals. Examples include the identification of indole alkaloids of
Picralima
nitida
as a new chemotype in the treatment of chloroquine-resistant malaria and possibly as the first
broad-spectrum antiprotozoan agent for the treatment of leishmaniasis and trypanosomiases, and
the antiviral (anti-HIV-1 and -HIV-2) agent; and of michellamine B, a novel dimeric alkaloid from
Ancistrocladus abbreviatus
.
In the area of nutraceuticals, which are food substances with therapeutic activities, several
African plants are being reevaluated for their possible contributions in the maintenance of optimum
health and prevention of diseases through diet.
The prime advantage of traditional medicine is that it exists as an immediate source of health
care for people where they live.
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It may not be as “good” as what may be considered ideal, but in the
absence of better alternative health care, one should at least improve what is available. Traditional
medicine is most prevalent where modern medicine is absent. The “holistic” concept in traditional
healing is commendable in that the patient's mind and soul as well as body are considered together
during treatment. Added to its many other advantages is its relative cheapness; on average, folk
medicine is cheaper than modern medicine. Proponents of folk medicine also stress that traditional
healers are more accessible than Western-trained medical doctors inside their imposing hospitals.
Traditional drugs are also usually made from local plants and materials, which are less costly than
imported medicines.
What is more respectable, than to take care of oneself within one's own means?
Dr. Robert Bannerman (WHO)
There is also the problem of alienation of modern medical practitioners from the rural people.
In traditional medicine, the relationships between patient and healer are usually close and intense,
unlike in modern hospitals, where the patient is seen as a skinfold of isolated, ailing tissues and
organs. It is sad to note that the more sophisticated medical science becomes, the more it is alien-
ated from rural Africans. There is an urgent need to bring medical science down to the language
of the people. The problem does not rest only with modern medicine; some peculiar practices of
the African traditional healers have made the work of integrating the various healing methods
difficult. In traditional African society, the native doctor is a person of immense social standing
and significance; he or she is considered as the greatest gift from God, the most useful source of
help and succor in an otherwise harsh environment. His or her judgment and counsel are usually
accepted without question or proof. The strong belief in spiritual causation of diseases and death
