Every New Year, I look out for good news in Alternative Medicine and Traditional Medicine in Nigeria. So, what are the good cheers today? EDMARK, a great player in the market until its court cases began a few years ago, is still under lock and key. Ubiqinol, that energiser and elixir for sagging hearts, is still selling for about eighty-something thousand Naira, up from about twenty-something under two years ago.
Milnapath, a Nigerian herbs producer and marketer which is trying to fill the gaps created by the departure of foreign plant medicines, is still bubbling with life.
My first tickle in 2025 was the story that a Nigerian in the United States who was said to have been practising medicine there for 40 years wound up his clinic and returned home to die when his doctors said he had just about three more weeks to live.
He was a terminal stage 4 prostate gland cancer patient, the story went. Who in that circumstance will not wish to end it all where his life had all begun? As I write, nine months after, he was to have died in the judgement of his doctors, this man is said to still be alive somewhere in Akwa Ibom State, and wishing to share the secrets of his survival with prostate cancer challenged persons.
I sought an encounter with him, careful to not be dealing with a crank. I trusted him not all the way, irrespective of the clean reputation of an avid reader of this column who introduced us.
We chatted on the telephone for one or two days, but I had not enough information to press ahead..
Every-one who had the story of this man’s impending dead felt sorry for him, I learned. Nevertheless, this doctor had a strong will to live.
Such persons are always connected with helpful forces in the Universe. Some-one gave this sinking and seemingly helpless doctor a herbal medicine life-line.
Who is that man whose body is dying but whose spirit is alive who will not hold on to a last straw,whatever it would bring?
This man consumed the three herbal medicines introduced to him. His PSA( Prostate sensitive Antigen), a marker for prostate gland health which rages from ZERO to FOUR but had climbed to 148, crashed to 1.8! It was one of the Nigerian health miracles of 2024 if it really happened.
This doctor’s story of hope for prostate gland challenged persons world-wide is stuck for now somewhere in the works. Next, my search for sharing news led me to Edible Herbs, a whopping 30 of them in a struggling multi-level marketing business. Edilbe Herbs gave me jioy because it fulfils an old dream that Nigeria rub shoulders one day with Euro-American and Asian countries in the global herbs market.
When some of us flagged off campaigns for MLM business in this sector in 1990s, and Nigeria became bombarded with herbs from abroad, we were accused of encouraging a swamping of Nigeria.
Not many persons realised then that the inflows would cause such pressure in the Nigerian market that would lead to an awakening and that this would generate movement from which, under THE LAW OF MOTION, a law of Nature, all sorts of activities and actions would ensue.
We may not have arrived at the point of plantation farming of herbs, or of their industrial processing or of their merchandising their marketing or of mass consumption not to talk of large scale exports, which may create millions of jobs in their value chains, we have, nevertheless, are now speaking of a couple of home grown networks with their own well packaged and effective products. As I welcomed Milnapath to the market last year, here is saying welcome as well to Edible Herbs.. Thirty is a commendable number What are these 30 herbs formulas from Edible Herbs, and against some of which older products will they be competing?
Thirty proprietary formulas in one stable is commendable for a young company like Edible. Its shows the company wishes to impact as many sub market as possible in the ever growing global Nigerian Alternative Medicine market. STD CARE Sexual transmitted diseases ( STDs) are still a market gold mine in Nigeria, especially among women.
Any-one on a good Zinc food supplement can easily pick the fishy, cheese and oven bread odour because this minerals improves the sense of smell, one of it about 200 functions in the body.
There is no hiding place for these odours either after sexual intercourse or during menstruation. The woman so challenged suffers from either bacterial infection known as Bacterial Vaginosis(BV) or Trichomoniasis or candiasis. BV produces a fishy smell or rotten egg smell often likened to hydrogen sulfide gas(H2S) given off by decaying egg. In Trichomoniasis, which is caused by the trichomonia Vaginalis Parasite, the following odours can occur, according to a literature review: “…The odour is often fishy,strong, unpleasant similar to rotten fish, Musty, damp and earthy,Musky, strong and pungent. This odour is usually accompanied by other symptoms, such as thin, greenish-yellow or grayish discharge,itching, burning, or redness in the vagina and vulva, abnormal vaginal bleeding and pain during urination or sex”. Candiasis is a hard nut to crack because it is sugar driven and many women love sugar.It is caused by Candida Albicans, a fungus which can devolve into a yeast form. A literature review says: “…The smell is bread-like, a sweet, yeasty aroma, similar to freshly baked bread or sour, a tangy, acidic smell, fermented or a pungent, beer-like odour.
This odour is usually accompanied by other symptoms, such as..thick, white, cottage cheese-like discharge, itching, burning, or redness in the vagina and vulva and pain during urination or sex”. The woman’s secret place is an easy target for bacteria, candida, fungi and other yeast forms. In several articles, I have explained how they find their ways there outside mating.
Lack of adequate aeration maybe one of them. Aeration introduces oxygen into this region.Germs hate oxygenation because its kills them. The gown appears to no longer be in fashion.
Many wear pairs of trousers from sunrise to sunset and do not sleep like Mother Eve at night, wearing nothing under and keeping their legs ajar for aeration.
During the day, many wear nylon pants which cause heat and sweating. However, the trend now is cotton and net pants.
Some do not iron their briefs before they wear them to kill germs. Many do not wash their briefs clean of their own discharges on them or wear protective panty liners.
Some hang their briefs to dry in the toilets.
When the water closets is flushed, air displaced by the pressure of in-flowing water may lift out some germs which may be deposit on such underwear.
The Nigerian STD herbal medicine market is supportive of challenge for women. My favorite recipe is Golden Seal Root Powder added to Egg White to form a paste which is massaged deep into the secret place. Golden seal will kill the germs. Egg white is a power house of proteins, minerals and vitamins to nourish damaged cells.
It is better done before bed and a panty liner worn over brief to catch any outflow. Golden seal is one of nature’s most effective antibiotics. It may be used for not longer than about seven days because it could be dehydrating. This is a quality which, like its capacity to prevent adherence to tissue wall, causes germ to die. For they are weakened when they cannot adhere to cell wall to suck nutrients, are malnourished and die. After this therapy, vitamin E softgel or aloe vera softgel may be inserted over another week to feed the cells with nutrients.
Thereafter, probiotics or friendly bacterial may be inserted to reactivate the friendly bacteria population. From Dr H.K Bakhur, in his Herbs That Heal, I learned that Indian women paste their vagina with mango seed kernel powder to kill sperm during sex. What kills sperm will kill germs.
This product, too, kill vagina germs and systemic germs. Thus, I ate the kernel with food or used it as tea in the mango season. Before I got lost in a woman’s world, it is better I quickly re-trace my steps, and, literally, return to town. BEFORE STD CARE… Before STD CARE came on the scene, there were various recipes from several MLM companies. Forever Living Products(FLP) had Alo Gelly from Aloe vera and, Propolis tablets and Aloe Berry Nectar, a liquid formula of Aloe Vera gel and Cranberry, for a good urogenital tract cleans.
Aloe Gelly and Propolis tablets may be used as vagina paste. Pearls Bloom came from Shine Way. Cleans Woman is a device inserted into the vagina like Tempax two days after the period and left on for about three days to literally speaking, funmigate all the way to the tubes.
It is similar to a device from FOHOW. Last year, MILNAPATH ( Millennium Nature Pathway) added Gynocare to a seemingly endless list of these remedies.
What has STD CARE brought to the market? It is presented as an antiviral, antibacterial and for addressing diseases such as painful conditions, syphilis, candidiasis (whites), Gonorrhoea, painful urination, staphylococcus aurea and skin infections.
How would STD care achieve these goals? The possibilities is the ingredients…Golden seal root, Red clover, sesaparila, Burdock root, chick weed, Pau d’ arco and chappral.
These, no doubt, are powerful anti- microbials. GINKGOBILOBA Any herbal medicine company worth its salt cannot ignore this herb. It promotes circulation to the brain and eyes in particular. With the brain under increasing pressure nowadays, it is well recommended for mental illnesses and vision challenges. This is why, along with Bilberry, another vision herb, ginkgobiloba is present in reputable vision formulations. Black Seed Oil with Ginger Oil and Garlic Oil
These three oils independent of one another became popular in Nigeria during COVID- 19 era. I took Black seed oil as a carrier for oregano oil and other oils to rid myself of symptoms. I said my experiences on Facebook (at John Olufemi Kusa)under the article Corona Virus: LOOK- ALIKE SYMPTOM JOIN THE LEXICON.
This oil combinations may improve heart health, digestive system health, immune system activity, reduce Inflammation, provide anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties and offer neuro-protective benefits.
They may be benefit, also, for skin and hair health. Edible Herbs presents this oil combination in addition as helping conditions such as asthma and of having blood thinning effects. EDIPIAN, this product is presented for another health market…osteo arthritis, Rhematoid arthritis ( RA), pain, spondylitis, frozen shoulder, Gout, Sciatic nerve problems and neuritis.
In other words, it may be seen as a remedy for bone and nerves challenges. Magnesium. This mineral needs no introduction on this page.
The readers are well advised of its value in bone health,blood sugar metabolism, brain health, especially in depression and insomnia, for example, energy production and heart health, especially during palpitation. As a matter of fact, MAG PHO(magnesium phosphate) in the family of BIOCHEMIC CELL or TISSUE SALTS is among the fastest acting remedies against palpitation of the heart , according to many Naturopaths. Edible Herb Magnesium brand is not a biochemic salt. Nevertheless, it is thoughtful of Edible Herbs to include it in its stable.
I am not comfortable when Zinc is complexed to a Magnesium salt. This is because, Magnesium being higher than Zinc in the electrochemical series,may crowd Zinc out of absorption by the cells.
My suggestion for Zinc intake as a food supplement, based on clinical advice, is that it be taken on empty stomach first thing in the morning or last thing at night or three hours after a meal or at least one hour before the next meal. POTASSIUM IODIDE, Dr Max Gerson and his disciples theorised that tumours and cancer cannot develop or thrive in tissue well suffused with Potassium. Therefore, high dietary potassium intake is one of the recommended treatment for uterine fibroids, which is very rampant among Nigerian women today. Watch what Nigerian women eat. There is little Potassium in it.
They consume more Sodium through Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG), to add food seasoning taste to their cuisine. Yet, more Sodium in the diet pushes away more Potassium from the body. How would they not be Potassium deficient and prone to uterine fibroids and cancer? OIDIDE, the second component of Potassium iodide (KI), is a reduced form of oidine and is more biologically active in the body and readily absorbed.
It protects the thyroid gland against radiation incidents and accident. It helps the thyroid to produce its hormones, without which the body cannot run well. For example, iodine defficiency causes goiter, and enlargement of the thyroid gland and may cause hypothyroidism, that is under active thyroid gland, which may cause excessive weight gain, lethargy, sleepiness, fatty and even uterine fibroids, as research has linked subnormal thyroid activity to this condition and several others, including hypotension.
Potassium,iodide partner in KI, is important for heart, muscle and nerve functions and, hence,should be useful also in the uterus, a bundle of muscles. Some eye doctors prescribed KI eye drops to stimulate metabolism in the treatment of cataract of the eye lens. Many physicians believe KI can prevent replication of viruses, which should make it good for HIV therapy. In the thyroid gland, iodine support production of T3 and T4 hormones.
Iodine is noted also for skin and wound healing, fight against bacteria, break down of mucus for easier expectoration. These views,which probably justify the introduction of Potassium iodide Product into Nigerian market by edible herbs, are supported in some ways by the fellowing internet reports on problems of iodine defficiency and subnormal thyroid gland: “… Hypothyroidism can slow down metabolic rate, leading to weight gain, fatigue, and decreased energy levels….Negative nitrogen balance can cause muscle wasting and decreased protein synthesis….. Some studies suggest a link between hypothyroidism and cataract formation, possibly due to oxidative stress and inflammation… Hypothyroidism may increase the risk of glaucoma, although the exact mechanism is unclear…Hypothyroidism can increase levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, potentially leading to atherosclerosis….Some hypothyroidics may experience low blood pressure,dizziness and fainting(hypotension)…Some research suggests a link between hypothyroidism and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), although the exact mechanism is unclear….Hypothyroidism may increase the risk of sinus infections, possibly due to impaired immune function….Hypothyroidism can lead to chronic inflammation, including cardiovascular disease and cancer…Hypothyroidism can cause muscle weakness, aches, and stiffnes,cognitive impairment, memory problems and decreased concentration..Not every hypothyroidic will experience these issues, and the severity of symptoms can vary widely”.
I would add that you check your metabolic rate through a personal home test available on the internet from Dr Broda James titled Dr Boda James basal metabolism home test. EDIBLE EYE CARE, this product may be of interest, especially to cataract and glaucoma challenge person or those persons who wish to prevent them.
Its ingredients include red eye bright, bilbery, ginkgobiloba, milk thistle, carrot extract and chappral. If you know that MILK THISTLE is a liver herb and wonder what it is doing among eye herbs, it is because the company believe that a weak liver,like weak kidneys, can be a cause of eye problems. In the 1990s, one of my favorite eye products was the original maxi vision. It came with about 24 ingredients in low dosages.
They included the fabulous Lutein, Zezanthin and Astazanthin. We compensated for the low dosages by reinforcing them, in alternations, with smaller products with fewer ingredients but higher dosages. As Lutein, Zezanthin and Astazanthin are carotenoids, it may be assumed that Beta carotene, a carotenoid in this product, can yield them as well as it convert to Retinol,a precursor of Vitamin A. However, this is false. I would have like zinc and copper to be included, because Vitamin A needs zinc for activation in the eye and zinc without enough copper may cause anemia, unless the copper can come from other dietary sources.
KIDNEY CARE: This product promises that , literally speaking, it can move mountains in the kidney .This promise is founded on…Golden rod, corn silk, yellow dead nettle and Dandelion. Golden rod is anti inflammatory and diuretic. Yellow nettle,too, is anti-inflammatory ,anti-bacteria and diuretic. Corn silk, among its other health benefits, clears kidney infections, inflamation in the urinary system and the prostate gland,breaks kidney stonesand stops bed wetting. MORE PRODUCTS: Here are some more ….VIGINAL DETOX PEARLS, ADISAMIN/VADETOX PAD( anti inflammatory, anti- itching, deodorising, detoxification of vaginal parasites, eliminates dryness, fights leucorrhea, frequent urination and uterine prolapse)/HERBAL FOR HYPERTENSION/HERBAL FOR DIABETES/ COQ10/ STOP PILE/MACO POWER/EDIBLE CALCIUM/MEN’s FORMULA /INTERNAL DETOX (it is formulated against liver and kidney disorders,Hepatitis A and B, Hypertensions/ stroke, diabetes, weight problems and urinary infections/ OMEGA-3/GINSENG OOLONG(improves mental alertness, boots immunity, prevents tooth-decacy e.t.c), PROSTATE CARE, MALAPHOID( for malaria and tyhoid, related questions). Space does not permit mention and discusion of other products, including a herbal soap formulated to relax nerves and muscles,calm the mind and improve sleep. As I do with every Nigerian network entrant into this column,I filled my wine glass.
May I request that you, too, fill yours and we clink glasses,toast and drink to health of EDIBLE HERBS.
