When in 1996, Dr Isaac Ayodele, a traditional medicine practitioner, was advised by his clients to persist and not despise his small beginning; it sounded rather out of place for him.
Why? The perception people had for the practice then. Traditional medicine was being perceived as being synonymous with charms (juju).
Today, his outfit, Diafra Ayodele Herbals, is 20 years and has become a popular brand for natural health and alternative medicine lovers.
Under the auspices of Ayodele Slimmers and Naturopathic Clinic and Africa Herbals, the organisation has grown from one brand to another, becoming a trade mark, Diafa AYODELE HERBALS . Its activities include, but are not limited to Ayodele Herbal Farms, Ayodele Health Products and Ayodele Public Health Clinic/Resort.
Dr Ayodele said: “The aim is yet to be achieved. I am attempting to revolutionise the concept of herbal medicine, which hitherto was regarded as fetish, unhygienic and primitive. My organisation has campaigned vehemently for a new information order that aims at placing herbal medicine in its proper perspective in Africa and beyond.”
He said in 20 years, Ayodele has transformed the concept of herbal products, herbal farm and herbal health care.
“A great brand like allopathic medicine that can be used with pride by all races, religion, sex, nations and socio economic strata has been refined. This year marks 20 years of my touching lives with natural healing,” said Dr Ayodele.
The organisation has so far developed three strong arms in its 20 years of existence: Ayodele Herbal Farms; Ayodele herbal products; and Ayodele Clinic/Resort.
According to him, Ayodele farm cultivates medicinal herbs for use in the factory where his brand herbal products are manufactured. “The farm also cultivates medicinal plants and makes it available to the teeming population, who find it difficult to source the herbs. Ayodele Herbal Farm cultivates both foreign and local herbs to improve the health and wellbeing of its numerous clients at home and abroad,” he said.
Dr Ayodele added: ‘’Another reason for the establishment of the Ayodele Herbal Farm was to enhance further standardisation and the hygiene of its products. Hence it cultivates in a very clean environment, and uses organic manure instead of the obnoxious fertiliser.”
The Ayodele Herbal products is the manufacturing arm of the organisation. It has an office, a dressing room, a mini warehouse for raw materials, production and packaging room, as well as mini warehouse for finished products.
He said many factors stand the herbal products from the rest.
According to him, organic medicinal plants from his farms are used in the production of the herbal products. This guarantees safety, standardisation and hygiene of the products.
It has eight best selling herbal products certified by the Nigerian drug regulation agency known as National Food and Drug Agency and Control (NAFDAC). “I am also developing 20 more products through this herbal farm in conjunction with the public health/herbal clinic,” he said.
He continued: “As a seasoned practitioner with “my backgroung in Public Health Science and obtaining a Doctorate Degree in the same, I ensure that the products are formulated and produced by professionals in herbal medicine, pharmacologists. My outfit engages in regular clinical trials of products to ensure their efficacy.”
In his 20-year practice, Dr Ayodele has written more than 25 books, including the bestselling ‘’When the doctor is away’’.
Ayodele Clinic is the centre for clinical trials of Ayodele Herbal products. The clinic is also for public health. It is an integrative medical centre, attending to the health needs of individuals and devising various ways of improving the health of the larger population.
The Ayodele Clinic has also provided a platform to attest to the efficacy of the various medicinal plants harvested from Ayodele Herbal Farms. It does free medical check ups and gets assistance from DIAFA NGO to give some patients, who are less priviledged free medical treatments.
In addition to all these, the Clinic has Guest Suites for patients or clients who have to stay for days for treatments, natural healing and wellbeing. This has led myriads to the resort-clinic and they recovered from various ailments.
Sharing his vision and objective for more years to come, Dr Ayodele said he wanted to be one of the best herbal products manufacturers in the universe.
“To commit resources, creativity and expertise to deliver health and wellbeing to all, with high integrity. I had a dream that one day there would be a hospital for both the rich and the poor, those who could not afford the high cost of medical bills and those who could not even afford to eat a meal per day, not to talk of affording medical bill,” he said.
Indeed many who live below poverty line are dead due to their inability to provide basic medical bill. All the hospitals are basically set up to cure the sick. This is fine. How about prevention, which we all agree is better than cure. Even the fathers of modern medicine opine that your food should be your medicine, and your medicine should be your food.
In view of this, when Ayodele Clinic project commenced in 1996, we projected to think outside the box in the bid to reach out to the myriads of less privileged patients who die in droves unheralded.
