Categories: HEALTH

Nature heals almost everything: Traditional medicine of Africa

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By Atlanta Mahanta

The oldest and perhaps most diversified therapeutic methods in Africa are traditional medicine. Africa is considered the birthplace of humanity with rich biodiversity and a diversity of ways of healing distinguished by ethnic variations. Traditional African medicine is holistic and includes the body and spirit in different ways. The traditional healer usually diagnoses and treats the psychological basis of diseases, particularly medicinal plants for treating symptoms, before prescribing medication. Two key factors can explain the continued interest in traditional medicine in the African health system. The first is insufficient access to allopathic medicines and west treatments whereby most Africans are unable, either because they are too expensive or because there are no providers of medical services, to access modern medical care. Secondly, certain diseases like malaria or HIV / AIDS, which have a disproportionate influence in Africa over other areas of the world, lack effective modern medicinal care.

The use of medicinal plants is the most common herbal medicine in general use in the African continent. Medicinal plants in many parts of Africa are the most available community health services. They are also the most popular alternative for patients. For most of these individuals, traditional healers provide personal information, consultation, and care and knowledge of the world of their patients. In reality, Africa has enormous biodiversity resources and is estimated to be able to produce 40 to 45,000 plant species with the potential to grow, 5,000 of which are used for medicinal purposes. This is not surprising, since Africa is in the Tropical and Subtropical climates and it is well known that the plants are the natural survivor of essential secondary metabolites through evolution. Due to its Tropical conditions, Africa has an unequal proportion of strong tropically-sunlight ultraviolet rays and numerous pathogenic microbes, including several species of bacteria, fungi and viruses, indicating that chemical prevention substances in Africa can accumulate in excess of plants in the northern hemisphere. Abegaz et al. interestingly noted that only the African species Dorstenia mannii Hook.f, which was a permanent herb growing in Central African tropical wilderness, had a more biological activity for all species studied in the Dorestenia (Moraceae) than related species.

However, it is imperative to record the drug uses of African plants and traditional systems due to the swift loss of natural habitats for some of the plants as a result of anthropogenic activities and also because important traditional information is being diminished. The African continent, however, is also known for having one of the world’ s largest deforestation rates with an estimated loss by deforestation of 1 percent a year, and the highest endemic rate is also important, with the Republic of Madagascar toping the list by 82 percent, and it is worthwhile. The paradox, however, is that the African continent has commercialised few beverages worldwide , despite its immense capacity and diversity.

The scientific literature has witnessed a rising number of publications designed to test the effectiveness of African medicinal plants which are expected to play a significant role in preserving the health and introducing new treatments. However, the detailed update of the promising medicinal plants from the continent of Africa remains precious.

Data reference: Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius

*Acacia senegal* (L.) Willd. (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae)—Gum Arabic	Acacia senegal, also known as gum Arabic, is native to semidesert and drier regions of sub-Saharan Africa, but widespread from Southern to Northern Africa. It is used as a medicinal plant in parts of Northern Nigeria, West Africa, North Africa, and other parts of the world. The use of gum arabic (or gum acacia), which is derived from exudate from the bark, dates from the first Egyptian Dynasty (3400 B.C.). It was used in the production of ink, which was made from a mixture of carbon, gum, and water. Inscriptions from the 18th Dynasty refer to this gum as “komi” or “komme.” Gum arabic has been used for at least 4,000 years by local people for the preparation of food, inhuman and veterinary medicine, in crafts, and as a cosmetic. The gum of A. senegal has been used medicinally for centuries, and various parts of the plant are used to treat infections such as bleeding, bronchitis, diarrhoea, gonorrhea, leprosy, typhoid fever, and upper respiratory tract infections. African herbalists use gum acacia to bind pills and to stabilize emulsions. It is also used in aromatherapy for applying essential oils.
*Aloe ferox* Mill. (Xanthorrhoeaceae)—Bitter Aloe or Cape Aloe	Aloe ferox is native to South Africa and Lesotho and is considered to be the most common Aloe species in South Africa. A. ferox has been used since time immemorial and has a well-documented history of use as an alternative medicine and is one of the few plants depicted in San rock paintings. The bitter latex, known as Cape aloe, is used as laxative medicine in Africa and Europe and is considered to have bitter tonic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties.The use of A. ferox as a multipurpose traditional medicine has been translated into several commercial applications and it is a highly valued plant in the pharmaceutical, natural health, food, and cosmetic industries. A. ferox is considered South Africa’s main wild harvested commercially traded species. The finished product obtained from aloe tapping, aloe bitters, has remained a key South African export product since 1761 when it was first exported to Europe. The aloe tapping industry is the livelihood of many rural communities and formalization of the industry in the form of establishment of cooperatives and trade agreements. It has been suggested that its trade may have an extensive poverty alleviation effect in Africa.
*Artemisia herba–alba* Asso (Med)—Asteraceae—Wormwood	Artemisia herba–alba is commonly known as wormwood or desert wormwood (known in Arabic as shih, and as Armoise blanche in French). It is a greyish strongly aromatic perennial dwarf shrub native to Northern Africa, Arabian Peninsula, and Western Asia. A. herba–alba has been used in folk medicine by many cultures since ancient times. In Moroccan folk medicine, it is used to treat arterial hypertension and diabetes and in Tunisia, it is used to treat diabetes, bronchitis, diarrhea, hypertension, and neuralgias. Herbal tea from A. herba–alba has been used as analgesic, antibacterial, antispasmodic, and hemostatic agents in folk medicines. During an ethnopharmacological survey carried out among the Bedouins of the Negev desert, it was found that A. herba–alba was used to mitigate stomach disorders. This plant is also suggested to be important as a fodder for sheep and for livestock in the plateau regions of Algeria where it grows abundantly. It has also been reported that Ascaridae from hogs and ground worms were killed by the oil of the Libyan A. herba–alba in a short time.
*Aspalathus linearis* (Brum.f.) R. Dahlg. (Fabaceae)—Rooibos	Aspalathus linearis, an endemic South African fynbos species, is cultivated to produce the well-known herbal tea, also commonly known as rooibos. Its caffeine-free and comparatively low tannin status, combined with its potential health-promoting properties, most notably antioxidant activity, has contributed to its popularity and consumer acceptance globally. The utilization of rooibos has also moved beyond herbal tea to intermediate value-added products such as extracts for the beverage, food, nutraceuticals and cosmetic markets.Rooibos is used traditionally throughout Africa in numerous ways. It has been used as a refreshment drink and as a healthy tea beverage. It was only after the discovery that an infusion of rooibos, when administered to her colicky baby, cured the chronic restlessness, vomiting, and stomach cramps that rooibos became well known as a “healthy” beverage, leading to a broader consumer base. Many babies since then have been nurtured with rooibos—either added to their milk or given as a weak brew.
*Centella asiatica* (L.) Urb. (Apiaceae)—Centella	Centella asiatica is a medicinal plant that has been used since prehistoric times. It has a pan-tropical distribution and is used in many healing cultures, including Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese traditional medicine, Kampo (Japanese traditional medicine), and African traditional medicine. To date, it continues to be used within the structure of folk medicine and is increasingly being located at the interface between traditional and modern scientifically oriented medicine. Traditionally, C. asiatica is used mainly for wound healing, burns, ulcers, leprosy, tuberculosis, lupus, skin diseases, eye diseases, fever, inflammation, asthma, hypertension, rheumatism, syphilis, epilepsy, diarrhea, and mental illness and is also eaten as a vegetable or used as a spice. In Mauritius, the application of C. asiatica in the treatment of leprosy was reported for the first time in 1852 while the clinical use of C. asiatica, as a therapeutic agent suitable for the treatment of leprous lesions, has been documented since 1887.
*Catharanthus roseus* (L.) G. Don (Apocynaceae)—Madagascan Periwinkle	Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) is a well-known medicinal plant that has its root from the African continent. The interest in this species arises from its therapeutic role, as it is the source of the anticancer alkaloids vincristine and vinblastine, whose complexity renders them impossible to be synthesized in the laboratory; the leaves of this species are still, today, the only source. C. roseus originates from Madagascar but now has a wide distribution throughout the tropics, and the story on the traditional utilisation of this plant can be retraced to Madagascar where healers have been using it extensively to treat panoply of ailments. It is commonly used in traditional medicine as a bitter tonic, galactogogue, and emetic. Application for treatment of rheumatism, skin disorders, and venereal diseases has also been reported.
*Cyclopia genistoides* (L.) Vent. (Fabaceae)—Honeybush	Cyclopia genistoides is an indigenous herbal tea to South Africa and considered as a health food. Traditionally, the leafy shoots and flowers were fermented and dried to prepare tea. It has also been used since early times for its direct positive effects on the urinary system and is valued as a stomachic that aids weak digestion without affecting the heart. It is a drink that is mainly used as a tea substitute because it contains no harmful substances such as caffeine. It is one of the few indigenous South African plants that made the transition from the wild to a commercial product during the past 100 years. Research activities during the past 20 years have been geared towards propagation, production, genetic improvement, processing, composition, and the potential for value adding.
*Harpagophytum procumbens* (Burch.) DC. (Pedaliaceae)—Devil’s Claw	Harpagophytum procumbens is native to the red sand areas in the Transvaal of South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. It has spread throughout the Kalahari and Savannah desert regions. The indigenous San and Khoi peoples of Southern Africa have used Devil’s Claw medicinally for centuries, if not millennia. Harpagophytum procumbens has an ancient history of multiple indigenous uses and is one of the most highly commercialized indigenous traditional medicines from Africa, with bulk exports mainly to Europe where it is made into a large number of health products such as teas, tablets, capsules, and topical gels and patches.Traditional uses recorded include allergies, analgesia, anorexia, antiarrhythmic, antidiabetic, antiphlogistic, antipyretic, appetite stimulant, arteriosclerosis, bitter tonic, blood diseases, boils (topical), childbirth difficulties, choleretic, diuretic, climacteric (change of life) problems, dysmenorrhea, dyspepsia, edema, fever, fibromyalgia, fibrositis, gastrointestinal disorders, headache, heartburn, indigestion, liver and gallbladder tonic, malaria, migraines, myalgia, neuralgia, nicotine poisoning, sedative, skin cancer (topical), skin ulcers (topical), sores (topical), tendonitis, urinary tract infections, and vulnerary for skin injuries. The major clinical uses for Devil’s claw are as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic in joint diseases, back pain, and headache. Evidence from scientific studies in animals and humans has resulted in widespread use of standardized Devil’s claw as a mild analgesic for joint pain in Europe.