The Nation Newspaper

Tag: herbal medicine

  • UI, others to offer herbal medicine

    THE University of Ibadan, University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, and Samuel Adegboyega University (SAU), Ogwa, Edo State have okayed herbal medicine for their curricula. This is following a deal with PaxHerbal Clinic and Research Laboratories.

    Its clinic Director, Rev. Anselm Adodo, broke the news at a briefing in Ikeja, GRA, Lagos.

    He said UNIMED would run a Bachelor’s Degree in Herbal Medicine, SAU, a higher certificate programme and UI, a Master’s and a Ph.D in African Traditional Medicine at its Institute of African Studies. Also, UI is running a course in Herbal Medicine, through the Pharmacy Department.

    Rev Adodo said: “An expert committee, with members drawn from key government research and regulatory agencies, set up by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to draw up standards for official identification of African medicinal plants has also made progress in its research findings.”

    The Institute of African Studies will also offer a professional certificate programme in Herbal Medicine.

    “This programme aims to empower traditional healers to professionalise their practice. It is also open to pharmacists and medical practitioners who need a working knowledge of Herbal Medicine with the attendant certification from a credible institution,” Rev Adodo explained.

    According to him, the undergraduate courses will be fulltime, while the certificate courses can be obtained part time.

    Besides, Rev Adodo said the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) has signed a Memoradum of Understanding (MoU) with PaxHerbals to research the use of plants as foods and medicine.

    “We have also signed an MoU  with PaxHerbals and its subsidiary, the Pax Integral Research and Development Initiative (OFIRDI), and Lagos State Coconut Development Agency (LASCODA) on research into coconut-based products,”  Adodo said.

    The Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), which last year signed an MoU with Paxherbals on research and development of Traditional Herbal Medicine, has established a Centre for Herbal Medicine, Alternative and Complementary Medicine Research, while the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), and the Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratories have prepared a protocol for a clinical trial of the Pax herbal malarial medicine called Malatreat, which is awaiting ethical clearance from health regulators.

    “I, as Director of Paxherbals, have always been actively involved, either as a member of a curriculum advisory committee, curriculum review committee or a research committee. My participation brought awareness to several areas of neglect, especially the dearth of literature on herbal medicine from Nigeria and documentation of Nigerian plants and flora for students and researchers. This has compelled Nigerian researchers to depend excessively on foreign publications to help them in their local research, which is practically difficult and not easy to compare. As a contribution towards solving this problem, I decided to publish a research book titled: “Medicinal Plants of Nigeria: An Ethnobotanical survey and Plant Album’, to be released in July, this year,” Rev Adodo said.

    He explained that the book aims to serve as a workbook for students, teachers and practitioners in the field of ethnobotany and ethnomedicine.  It documents the plants that are traditionally used by the local population, the history of local use, and the traditional beliefs around the use in Nigeria. At a time when so much attention is being given to phytochemica l screening of plants.

    He added: “There is a temptation to overlook the philosophy of ethnomedicine and cultural use of plants, thereby losing the link between plants and the community.

    ‘’This research adopts a community-oriented approach to African herbal medicine research and argues for a return to a community-based approach to medicine, wherein the health of the individual is closely aligned with that of the community. Community in this context includes plants, animals and the environment.”

    One of the major weaknesses of Traditional Medicine, according to Rev Adodo, is that it has not yet moved from the realm of the subjective to that of objective as well as from implicit to explicit knowledge. It is crucial that traditional medicine evolves from implicit to explicit knowledge, from knowledge embodied in individual local healers to a community of knowledge that is available to all, he added.

    He said in Africa, it is difficult to separate the practice of herbal medicine from the herbal practitioner. “In conventional medicine, it is different; if a patient dies after a series of treatment and medication, people rarely blame or condemn the practice of medicine as a discipline, or declare it completely ineffective. Instead, it just means that a particular case was simply impossible, or not successful. If a medical doctor makes mistakes or acts contrary to the principle of ‘do no harm,’ or is noticed to have been negligent, he or she is penalised by the relevant authorities.

    “However, such individual mistakes and inefficiencies do not always mean that the discipline of medicine is bad, and the people understand. On the contrary, people often fail to make this distinction when it comes to traditional medicine, they often judge and condemn the practice of herbal medicine itself when an individual practitioner defaults or is negligent. This is partly due to lack of firm control and regulatory system as well, that ensures disciple and effectiveness. On the other hand, lack of documentation, illiteracy and little emphasis on knowledge sharing and research, has significantly retarded traditional medicine as a field of discipline.”

    Rev Adodo assured that Paxherbals will continue to work with the government and Non- Governmental Organisaions (NGOs)for the development of African herbal Medicine.

  • How to boost herbal medicine, by Ooni, herbal society

    Herbal practitioners under the aegis of Herbal Therapy Society of Nigeria (HTSN) have visited Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi to explore ways to move the practice forward. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA reports.

    They were dressed in white. They wore a camaraderie look, yet the message on their minds was serious – how to move herbal medicine forward, especially how to get funds to boost exports.

    Herbal Therapy Society of Nigeria (HTSN) members, numbering over 150, stormed the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi’s palace on how to ensure that herbal medicine practice was no longer impeded by regulations of Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), non-funding by the Federal Government, and non-availability of botanical gardens.

    As a custodian of tradition, the Society believed Oba Ogunwusi could influence political leaders in achieving  their goal.

    The society’s President, Dr Akintunde Ayeni, who led the members, told the monarch that Nigeria can gain if it taps into traditional herbal medicine development to the tune of $100billion.

    According to Ayeni, also the President/Founder, YEMKEM Group, a lot of misconceptions trailed traditional herbal medicine in the past due to the way our fore-fathers practised same, but, “when people like me came in, having inherited the knowledge from my father who got same from my grand-father, I decided to cause a paradigm shift in the society”.

    Ayeni said the practice was seen as  occultism where it was  believed that those in it must look, “horrible, weird, tattered and full of evil deeds. But having travelled wide and far, I know that the mindset was wrong. I was able to encapsulate herbal drugs, and produced liquid that can be stored for two years remaining potent without going bad if unopened, and got them listed with NAFDAC as well. That move caused a spontaneous acceptance across the country.

    “I am happy that the wind of change has started. The elite purchase and use those packaged products. If the Federal Government gives traditional herbal practice the same support it is giving orthodox medicine, and practitioners are able to package the finished products well, to international taste, the country will be better for it, people. This is because the herbs are available for people, and can be exported, instead of leaving the market for some foreign multi-level marketing companies.”

    He added that members were being harangued by regulatory agencies. What they are being compelled to abide with does not apply to these  marketing strategies.

    Ayeni asked: “Our billions in dollars are being fretted away to foreign countries, yet Nigeria boasts of the best organic plants worldwide. But with functional botanical gardens across the country, our herbal plants will not go into extinction”.

    Akintunde added that studies had shown that, “some herbal plants can only grow, survive and thrive in Nigeria due to favourable climatic conditions, organic soil and cultural milieu. The government should establish university for herbal medicine where interested people can go and enrol for training in the uses of these leaves, shrubs, herbal plants and roots, as is being done in Brazil, India, China and even Ghana. Hospitals in these countries have both orthodox and traditional medicines being practised in the same building, leaving the choice to patients.

    ‘’Nigeria can do this, and get real forex from it, if only the government can be committed to the development of indigenous traditional medicine. My effort got me here, but not too many of our members have good stories to tell because they are struggling. My success made some conclude that I took into cocaine carrying when I established Pathfinder Hotel from proceeds of my products due to proper packaging. The long and short of it is that investigations by relevant authorities vindicated me that I am not a cocaine courier.

    ’The late Sosobala Mbatha took the first step to own an airport in a small South African country town, had two private jets, completed the landing strip, next to his house, a modern-style marching band, and a very modern car. Yet, he was a traditional, but very successful South African herbal healer. He was a multi-billionaire. Mine is like peanuts to some of my herbal healer-friends in other countries. I am yet to have a private jet, and I will.”

    Oba Ogunwusi said he’d been hearing of YETKEM for a long time. “I can assure all that he is a credible man. I am here to resuscitate and concretise the almost lost or forgotten traditions and customs of the Yoruba race. I am ‘Babatunde’ (father has reincarnated). And there are three, two have gone and this the third and that is why I have returned to just do that.”

    Oba Ogunwusi said he was happy that members of the society  came from the 36 states to his palace. The monarch said: ‘’But I must be very frank with you, unity is the stronghold on which development thrives. Disunity cannot sustain anything in life. All of you need to ensure you have a common front and come together.”

    Oba Ogunwusi said the Yoruba race encapsulates the view of Olodumare (God) where creation took place in the garden of Eden. “That garden is Ogba Edena (garden of creation) and it also turned out to be garden of ideniyan (garden of bondage) as recorded in the two holy books. So, Yoruba race has the answer to the world’s problems, including ailments, diseases, conditions – both systemic and mental. This society must come together by bringing even disgruntled members, who have been deregistered from it back, and together we will move traditional medicine practice forward.”

    Oba Ogunwusi said there is a collaboration with Brazil, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and House of Oduduwa, Ile-Ife  (The Palace) on training in pharmacognosy and traditional herbal medicine and that it would be leveraged to inculcate further training for the members of the Society.

    “There are two representatives in training in Brazil because that country has twice the number of Yoruba more than the western part of Nigeria. We have traced the two origins back to Ile Ife. Once the Herbal Therapy Society gets its unity right, I will assist in sending its members to Europe and other advanced countries where traditional medicine is prioritised. I am happy that you all came here en-masse. I wish you well.”

    The Lagos Chairman of the association, Dr Adeniyi Idowu said the issues tabled by the national president should be addressed. “Because we are the ones at the receiving ends. We are  doing internal regulation by ensuring that our members comply with NAFDAC stipulations on production. Good manufacturing practice is our watchword. Standardised packaging is also being pursued, yet we are being victimised by these agencies,“  he said.

    Idowu, also Evergreen Herbs International Limited CEO, said: “We are looking at the bigger picture where herbal products will be first products of choice worldwide. We were not there when laws and guidelines were being put together to regulate us. We had no input. It is time to review these laws. Our products are being listed and not registered; none has gone through clinical trial. We are ready for these clinical trials. But there is no structure by any regulatory body to either engage us, or even carry it out. Ghana has gone far ahead of us. Traditional medicine is the next forex earner for Nigeria.

    “Unlike medical doctors, who cannot advertise their products, yet people will recognise hospitals and registered pharmacies, traditional herbal products manufacturers must create publicity. You see, Nigeria must not lag behind. We are ready as a society to move this sector forward by asking pharmacies, hospitals to use our NAFDAC-registered products even on patients, in hospitals, yet we are met with brick walls. Things cannot continue like that. The government can create herbal sections in hospital pharmacies and allow us to put our indigenous herbal products certified and listed by NAFDAC in those sections. That alone will boost the morale of herbal practitioners.

    “APCON is not allowing easy distribution by way of advertisement of these products. And because NBC is tying the rope on stations, advert rates on jingles are also sky-rocketing to the extent that to even recover invested money is a herculean task. Only the government can create the enabling environment.”

    The association enthroned Oba Ogunwusi as its patron.

  • ‘Herbal medicine is different from voodoo’

    ‘Herbal medicine is different from voodoo’

    For over 14 years the Herbal Therapy Society of Nigeria (HTS) has painstakingly educated its members on the dos and don’ts of modern day herbal practice. In this interview, its president, Akintunde Ayeni (President/Founder- YEMKEM Group) tells OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA some of the society’s achievements, including its challenges and possible solutions to positioning traditional medicine in primary health care. Excerpts:

    What basically are this group’s vision and mission?

    Herbal Therapy Society of Nigeria (HTS) is an association of intellectual herbal practitioners, which handle herbal-plants in a modern way. Modernity in the way of packaging, producing, preserving in a standard form- liquid, capsules, powder or solid state like soap. It is demystifying the traditional medicine as a healing art and not voodoos.

    Any challenge?

    I see our movement as a wave, full of turbulence. It will surely land at the coast safely, soon. This is because the practice has stabilised across the country. We faced a lot of challenges right from inception because even to get the organisation registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) was tough. It took more than two years. I piloted the association with other intellectuals in the society and that mutual focus is yielding results. Gone are the days when people can do anyhow or package anything in the name of ‘products’.

    Nigerians are now accepting the patronage of these herbal products openly. This was achieved through concerted efforts by all of us. No more hiding place for quacks, who can package anything, anyhow in the name of herbal product. Though our ideas as members differ due to experience, exposure, background and academic qualifications, yet we have a common goal pushing us and we are proudly showcasing our profession. In the same vein, our indigenous herbal products are already in the international market. This is because the society has been able to separate religion from herbal practice. No more incision or incantations before you use these products, unless you go to an herbal practitioner in his domain for treatment.

    Can you throw more light on this?

    Application of incantations is part of traditional medicine in treating or preparing of some herbs for healing. We took time out to educate our people that herbals are different from spiritualism, but both are under traditional healing. Now, our members produce herbal medicine that are acceptable both on national and international scenes. People can buy and use them without seeing the producers because the leaflets will state in precise terms how to use them. Also, our members were educated on dressing and how it influences marketing and the perception of individuals. Members do not have to carry on as cultists, but entrepreneurs. Dressing, as harmless as it looks, puts people off from buying herbal products, but by the time our members changed their mindset, the narrative will change as well.

    Why are you so zealous about herbal medicine?

    African flora and fauna are the best in the world because of the rain forest, and are highly effective and efficacious. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the African Tropical Forest is where one can get 100 per cent organic raw materials like herbs, plants, shrubs compared with the European world full of fertiliser. The intimidating problem is that the Federal Government has not been able to support this sector as it ought to in terms of botanical garden in the six-geopolitical zones to start with. India, China, Japan and even Ghana, have all gone far ahead of Nigeria where manufacturers and producers go to obtain the raw materials in form of these herbal plants for production. That explains part of why Nigeria’s traditional medicine is lagging behind. If this is tapped into, it is a veritable source of alternative to oil. The foreign exchange (FOREX) involved is great.

    So, what do you think is the way forward?

    One is to establish a foundation for traditional medicine in Nigeria. The government can make a whooping hard currency from herbal medicine. Look at the plethora of foreign natural medicine across the country. Other countries are making huge money from Nigerian’s patronage of those products, and our government is folding its hands. Those people go back to their countries adding value to their countries, yet Nigeria is worse off. Those using those imported products do not understand that the human body will adapt to the flora and fauna it grows with in the environment. Nigeria has an edge because they are purely organic, and can be exported.

    The Late Prof Adeoye Lambo said African disease needs African medicine because of our body mechanism. Many old people have answers to some of these terminal and non communicable diseases, but are scared to come out with them to the government because there is nothing on ground to protect their patency. And Nigeria being what it is, lack of transparency is also a factor. There should be a University of Traditional Medicine, where people can go and learn and graduate, and be employed in traditional healing hospitals, as it obtains in China. Sickle cell is being addressed by the government now with herbal solution, that is just the tip. If the government can organise this sector, it will reap more FOREX than oil, like $100b, and won’t have to go borrowing. China has shown the way by making $350b from its traditional medicine. A proposal has been made to incorporate herbal medicine in most conventional universities, but some of our people who are just with school certificate could not fit in, hence that is a defeated way to go.

    Are there other suggestions that government can work on?

    There should be a soft loan window for practitioners as members of cottage industries. Japan is an example.

    How is your group dealing with quackery?

    As a society, we can only encourage piety among our members. The larger responsibility lies with the government at different levels. My society is doing its best, but we are guiding against being misunderstood so as not to be seen as killing others, who are just budding, after I have made my own money and fame. Where there is no law, there will be disorder. NAFDAC is doing well in finished products listing and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). The sector can do better because fake, adulterated, and counterfeit still abound. All these are being done with non members, who cash in on fast and popular products and imitate them, and put fake NAFDAC labels and numbers.

    Just to fill the gap between demand and supply which original producers cannot fill. I give a lot of kudos to late Dora Akunyili her tenure was full of sanity. After her exit, the agency experienced a relapse. Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) is also doing its best by not allowing spurious claims and counter claims in the airwaves. In the United States (US), natural products are listed by the F.A.O with caveat: not to cure, treat or heal. So, if a consumer has any complaint, it can be investigated. Here in Nigeria, people that have no business with herbal products are coming into it because of economic survival. Such people produce in a room cheaply, and roll out those things without going through GMP. The implications on consumers are always grave. This is because consumers always go for cheaper products, unlike original that has gone through NAFDAC and other GMP. Court is also not easy to approach because it is quite slow to deliver justice. My experience with fakers of my product- Osomo at the court was not funny. We were on the case for almost three years before I pulled out. That is enough to discourage any entrepreneur. I can tell you that 90 per cent of bitters in the Nigerian market are outright fake.

    What is your stand on a national body for practitioners?

    Ghana has one national umbrella. My society- Herbal Therapy Society of Nigeria is made of practitioners, who are people of honour and integrity, who have conscience and equally value culture. The issue of one umbrella for traditional practitioners came to a standstill under General Ibrahim Babangida. He initiated an election to give us a national president, among Soluade, Lambo and Fadahunsi. And after the election by all participating practitioners at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), the winner, Chief Fadahunsi, who was to be given the staff of office collapsed on the spot and died, the General and Admiral Augustus Aihomu put a stop to the initiative, and put the practice under Ministry of Science and Technology.

    In modern day, we as practitioners do not have a common goal coupled with personal ego. Medical doctors have a common umbrella because they are educated and enlightened. Way out is to pass the Traditional Health Bill. Once that is done and it spells out functions of each agencies and practitioners, easily, a national umbrella of all associations, societies, groups etc, can be formed.

    How does your role model traditional medicine hospital look like?

    It is high time the Federal Government allowed traditional hospitals to run side by side allopathic hospitals. It will be situated in the hospital premises, and a patient can decide where to obtain treatment as it obtains in China and India. Both orthodox and traditional doctors work hand in hand. That relationship is non existence in Nigeria. Way forward is a cordial relationship to exist between both in Nigeria for the sake of patients.  If such hospital exists and solely funded by the Federal Government, many healers with potent herbal answers will come out and surrender to the hospital, so far their potency is guaranteed. Now, most of them are in the hinterland just treating within their communities. When they die, their knowledge dies with them. Western medicine and drugs originated from herbs.

    What does the future hold for traditional medicine in Nigeria?

    It can’t die. It is viable. It is lucrative. These problems will go away one day and a new day will break. Whoever made it happen both at the national and individual levels, their names will be in gold and their memories written on the sands of time. This is because people prefer herbal medicine to synthetics. It is affordable, accessible, available and natural.

    You were alleged to have served some jail terms outside the country, what precisely happened?

    I have never been jailed in or outside the country. This is not a new rumour. This is purely the work of enemies of progress. They do not understand how the prosperity comes. They cannot believe that selling of herbal medicine could be this lucrative. I started in a single room. I moved to a three-bed-room apartment. Then I moved to the five-bedroom at St Finbars, and to Somolu to consult. I invested in real estate that yielded my personal house and the hotels, which in turn are serving me and the business. This is because I did not eat my seeds, but replanted them, which is now putting food on my table.

    I have always used my experience to encourage my co-practitioners to grow their business, instead to eating the profit. They should learn to plough their profits back into the business, which in turn will grow and take care of their needs. If they do not sacrifice now, but live large, there is no way the business will grow, because ‘owo owo, eniyan kan kii fi kole– (you do not use money meant for business to build a house). I invested in advertising through ‘Alaafia Tayo’, which gradually changed people’s mindset about traditional medicines. When you consolidate your business to a certain level, you can relax and it will be serving you naturally. I am not bothered because it has gone on for more than 20years. It is all about progress in life. You see, if I have not progressed from’ Alaafia tayo’ to ‘YEMKEM’ they won’t talk about me. I have moved from talking on television to concentrating on the business’ expansion. Now that they do not see me on television again they concocted that rumour.  Foundation is important.

    When I commissioned this head office in Egbeda in 2001, many things were said and it boiled down to the fact that they do not understand how a healer can build such edifice. Likewise in 2003 in Ekiti. Not to talk of Pathfinder Hotel in 2007. All these amounted to progress in life. The truth is that those rumour mongers have never seen much established traditional practitioners like in the rest of the world, such as the late Sosobala Mbatha, who took the first step to own an airport in a small South African country town. He had two private jets, completed the landing strip, next to his house. A modern-style marching band, and a very modern car, for a traditional, but very successful, South African herbal healer. He was a multibillionaire in dollars. Mine is like peanut to some of my herbal healer-friends in other countries. Those mongers see practitioners as illiterates. I am yet to have a private jet. They wil see more successful traditional practitioners soon.

  • Role of herbal medicine in infertility treatment

    Role of herbal medicine in infertility treatment

    The Managing Director of Health Forever Product Limited, Ikeja, Lagos, Otunba Olajuwon Okubena, answers the question.

    Question

    I am fertility challenged. I need a referral to a traditional healer worth his onion because my experience is basically hormonal imbalance and infection.

    Grace Idris, 27-year-old typist, Kogi.

     

    Readers of this Health Page may recall that several years ago, I wrote about the importance of infertility in the stability of marriage in this part of the world. I will reproduce part of the article and update it as the problems currently seem to be assuming a disturbing dimension.

    Mrs.  Aduke Collins (not real name) was visibly worried when narrating her story to me in my office. Her marriage seven years ago was opposed by her mother-in-law on account of  hailing from the South-western part of the country whereas her husband is from the other side of the Niger River.

    In her words: “I was hoping that the arrival of a baby would change the attitude of my parents-in-law but that was not to be. As the years rolled by without the sign of pregnancy, the pressure continued to mount. My husband was very co-operative and we moved round almost all the known gyneacologists in Lagos area.

    “Simultaneously, we joined a couple of  the Pentecostal churches available to tackle the problem from the spiritual angle and for years, we were hoping against hope. At one stage, we were tempted to visit native herbalists, a friend introduced me to the IVF solution and my husband did not hesitate to make available the huge amount of money demanded for this exercise but it was like the last straw that broke the camel’s back. My husband has now started listening to his mother and I suspect a new wife from the village is being arranged for him.”

    She started weeping profusely and it was difficult to console her. I allowed her to exhaust her emotional expression and gave her an appointment to visit me with her husband. I suggested that they bring along the results of all laboratory tests done in the last few years.

    On the appointed date, she came but was unaccompanied by the husband. Fortunately, she brought a load of laboratory reports which showed that she was having irregular menstrual flow, blocked fallopian tube and moderate infection of staphylococcus, while the husband had weak erection, premature ejaculation, and low sperm count.

    On further interrogation, it was revealed that the husband was almost losing interest in sexual activities on the excuse of pressure of work, stress of traffic jams and so on.

    Infertility is the inability of a couple to conceive after one year of unprotected sex. A third of the reasons is due to a male factor, another,   female factor while the remaining cases are due to “unexplainable factors”.

    For most couples, there will be several diagnoses of various conditions over time, treatments that do not improve the condition, not to mention the emotional and financial stress of simply moving from one solution to another. During this extremely difficult period, it is important not to lose focus while wading through all the available treatments on offer.

    In a recent article published in the USA NEWS titled: “Drug-Resistant Staphylococcus a widespread threat- dangerous infections occurring more often than previously believed”, study finds that “potentially deadly, drug-resistant Staphylococcus infections are more common, both in and out of hospitals, than experts once thought”.

    “Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are the top causes of skin and soft tissue infections among people in hospitals, and can result in severe and even fatal disease. In fact, MRSA infection account for almost 19, 000 deaths and more than 94,000 life-threatening illnesses each year in the United States.”

    If the US could raise the alarm about this infection, it is better imagined how every Nigerian walks into the pharmacy shops to buy antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription.

    We are much aware that a large percentage of infertility in this country is caused by the MRSA and over the years, we have developed a therapy that has succeeded in many cases.

    Some years ago, I had an encounter with Mr. Femi Kusa who was then the Editor-in-Chief of the rested The Comet Newspaper; he decided to do what he termed a  kitchen experiment with the new product we discovered.

    The result of his experiment was published in The Comet Newspaper sometime in 2001 under the title “Bye bye to staphylococcus, the unconquerable”. This was at a time when Health Forever Products Limited was developing the product called BENABIOTIC which was later packaged for sale and have since been used by Health Forever Clinic to reverse several cases of infertility. In the opening paragraphs of the article, Mr. Kusa stated that:

    “Believe me, this is not a joke! A herbal remedy may be on the way which, in only one month, could rid the body of all the colonies stacked up by staphylococcus over several years to inflict all those unbearable aches and remedy in all seriousness. Perhaps prematurely, to help open a health gate, but careful not to be a harbinger of false hope for all those hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people in this country who live under the siege of staphylococcus.

    This Editor worked me up into lifting this veil, I must confess, when he asked me once or twice last month what staphylococcus was all about, he had received letters from some readers making enquiries and had even published one or two of them. To be frank, I am aware staphylococcus defies several pharmaceutical remedies, except perhaps vancomycin.

    Even then, only rarely is vancomycin the staphylococcus waterloo. It walks away majestically free from all traps, causing destabilising internal heat, which may be confused with the hot flashes of menopausal hormonal imbalances; literally, it lives on the sperms in men, subjecting them to not only low sperm count, but taking away their libido as well and creating erectile dysfunction problems for them.

    For women, the monthly cycle is disarranged, if not disparaged, and they itch severely in the secret place. For men, occasional physical reminder that they still live with staph, as staphylococcus is also called, could be pinching inside the tip of their organs. Many sufferers speak of feeling of  “something walking up and down” in their bodies. This may very well be effects on internal tissue of the protein toxins secreted by these bacteria, against which the body fails to produce effective antibodies.

    The body would have been partly incapacitated by a weakened immune system, creating gaps in its defenses which the bacteria exploited to start with. And to worsen the situation, staphylococcus secretes enzymes which depopulate the fighter white blood cells.”

    An important issue raised by Mr. Kusa in his article was the impact of staphylococcus attack on the immune system. Many medical doctors have been prescribing Vitamin E which describes a family of eight antioxidants and one of these; alpha-tocopherol is the form that is actively maintained in the body. Vitamin E maintains the integrity of cell membranes in the body by neutralising free oxygen radicals which would otherwise disrupt this function leading to several diseases in the body.

    High concentrations of free radicals have been identified in a significant number of infertile men especially in cases where the cause is thought to be unexplained. Several studies have also established that the presence of these toxins affects the quality of the sperm in terms of its count, morphology and motility.

    This is the reason why vitamin E, an antioxidant, has long been prescribed because of its ability to neutralise these free radicals. However, Jobelyn has a clear advantage because it has been shown scientifically to have a significantly higher antioxidant capacity (3,123 using the ORAC value) than vitamin E.

    Free radicals have been implicated in conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovarian disease, tubal factor infertility and unexplained infertility.

    The emphasis here is not to use Jobelyn to treat each condition in order to achieve a cure, but to re-balance the body by neutralising the free radicals that cause these conditions. This is because pregnancy is still often times achieved in the presence of these conditions.

    Staphylococcus and other bacteria infections

    Over the years, we have succeeded in treating infertility caused by different types of bacteria infection with our branded herbal product called Benabiotic which is usually combined with Jobelyn.  The main ingredient in Benabiotic is from a plant Anthocleista djalonensis (Loganiaceae)  (Yoruba Name – Sapo). The combination of this remedy with Jobelyn has eliminated Staphylococcus infection from patients within a period of three to five months.

    Anthocleista djalonensis (Loganiaceae)  Yoruba Name- Sapo

     

    Hormonal Imbalance in female infertility

    Recently, hormonal disturbances have been considered of great importance in the knowledge of causes and diagnosis of female infertility. What exactly does hormonal balance mean for our fertility health? What do hormones do anyway? Does hormonal balance really matter? Absolutely! If our hormone levels are not balanced, our health will suffer. We cannot live without hormones. Hormones deliver messages. Our cells are genetically programmed to only receive and respond to messages from certain hormones. Each cell in the body contains hormone receptor cites. Once a hormone fits into a cell’s receptor, it gives the cell instructions. This is similar to a key fitting in a lock. Hormones control our bodily processes. Hormones are coordinated by the endocrine system. Without proper endocrine function, our bodies cannot maintain proper hormonal balance.

    Hormone levels can be influenced by stress, fluid changes in the body, vitamin and mineral levels, infection, exposure to environmental toxins and the amount of body fat we have. Each endocrine gland plays a specific role in the ability of our body to maintain proper function. Each endocrine gland also communicates with the other in an amazing design. If one of the endocrine glands is not functioning properly, it may cause a broken link in communication with other endocrine glands or actions of the body, which may greatly impair fertility. Because the endocrine glands secrete hormones, and the hormones are messengers for actions within the body, if the gland is not functioning properly, hormonal imbalance occurs and the ability to reproduce may be impaired.

    In our clinic, we have researched into the folk medicine that is being used to take care of hormonal imbalance. The main herbal ingredient is a part of a plant called Morinda Lucida ( Yoruba name is ORUWO). We have used this herbal product to normalise hormonal imbalance which affects women in general. The remedy is a major component of our fibroid treatment. It shrinks the fibroid tumor thus improving the chances of pregnancy for infertile women. It assists in the treatment of ovarian cysts and also helps in breast cancer that has the implication of excessive estrogen. So also, it helps in resolving the problems associated with goiter.

    Morinda Lucida ( Yoruba Name – Oruwo)

    Couples intending to achieve pregnancy ought to maximise their chance by meticulously preparing their bodies. Ensuring good nutrition, avoiding alcohol and smoking, preventing sexually transmitted diseases are some basic ways of maximising fertility. However, this must be supplemented by simply ensuring that the reproductive system is working at its best by fortifying the body with natural substances such as antioxidants that rid the body of toxins that have been implicated in most of the causes of infertility.

    Jobelyn occupies a unique and remarkable position in the world of the combination of food and medicine. Laboratory analysis from the reputable GMP Laboratory of USA confirmed that Jobelyn contains Carbohydrates, Protein, Dietary Fibre, Iron which could be classified as food. In addition, it contains other nutrients which could be classified as medicine/food/amino acids and these include selenium, manganese, potassium, zinc, calcium, vitamins like A, B12, C, Omegas 3, 6 and 9, calcium and more. It is a well-known fact that doctors now prescribe multivitamins in addition to drugs. Jobelyn is rich in vitamins and other essential fatty acids and amino acids which are by far superior to the synthetic ones in the market and this is a compelling reason why doctors should prescribe it.

    Otunba Okubena can be contacted on: okubena@health-forever.com

  • Cherries, Bromelain…2016 upcoming herbal medicine (5)

    Let’s Pump hands. Mother Nature is ushering in a new season. The harmattan is gone. The orange, dehydrated, may become juicy and sweet again. I am still enjoying the gift of orange peel powder. Have you tried banana peel, boiled, diced and served with rice or beans or blended in a banana or banana and greens smoothie? We are on a long haul, and you may not easily catch up with the train if you are a slow coach.

    I have interesting responses to last week’s column on the benefit of eating pawpaw (papaya) seeds, which I may share with you later in the year. Meanwhile, the incoming season has ushered in the good, old cherry and the detestable mosquito. I will talk briefly about the cherry and the mosquito before moving on to another fruit peel. It would appear this is a campaign to make us all include one fruit peel or the other in our diet.

    Well, I don’t know. I just intuitively caught the bug about things I’d always known as a young person and ate, but forgot about in the days of hurly burly, when choleric life in the rat race erased many beautiful things from the mind. Those were my grandmother’s days when food was medicine and medicine was food. I am still choleric and not phlegmatic yet. But I have learned the hard way that it is best to stick with Mother Nature. So, what about the mosquito? They seem to venomously fall upon us when outdoor weather is hottest.

    Someone says it is possible they are seeking refuge indoor at such times. Well, I do not wish to speak much about them today. I just wish to observe that, may be like you, I have been severely embattled by them now for about one month, I hate mosquito sprays and coils. They are insecticides and insecticides are poisons.

    They kill the mosquito and main the human cell alike.Their molecules are non-biodegradable. So, even after you lay on your bed, hours after you sprayed your bedroom and vacated it, it is still possible for you to pick the molecules through contract with exposed parts of your skin on the bed.

    Inhaling there molecules may cause all sorts of breathing problems, including bronchitis and asthma. Some people prefer anti-mosquito body creams.

    But they hardly realize that these creams are carriers for insecticide at a lower concentration than those in the sprays. The East African use candlesmade from neem (Dogoyaro), or from orange peel powder. They kill mosquitoes or chase them away. From Europe has come electrical devices which do the same. But won’t the mosquito have a field day in a country such as Nigeria where electricity supply is epileptic? To resolve these challenges, I have returned to taking lemon grass tea every morning. Years ago, studies at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), corroborated later by those at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, (FIIRO) Oshodi In Lagos, showed that water extracts of lemon grass tea killed plasmodium, the malaria parasite,   in the blood stream. Beside lemon grass, I anxiously await from one of my friends abroad, the gift of a device my father employed in our home at the police barracks at Ibara, Abeokuta.

    It hung down from a celling. Waxed with a substance which attracts insects, all mosquitoes gravitate naturally towards it and meet their waterloo. So do other insects like flies and cockroaches… what about the good old cherry that is back in season? There are two types of cherries… tart cherry and sweet cherry. In the United Kingdom, cherries are so popular that July 16 is observed as a National Cherry Day, according to Diana Herrington inwww.care2health.com she suggests 11 reason you shouldn’t ignore them, especially as their seasonis short. She says:

    “When you eat cherries, you enjoy much more than the amazing taste. They are packed with antioxidants and offer many health benefits, including helps with insomnia, joint pain and belly fat. Cherries could be just what the doctor ordered. Here are 11 good reasons to start eating this power food today!

    “ONE:Protection from diabetes. Sweet cherries have a lower glycemic index of 22, lower than Apricots 57, Grapes 46, Peaches 42, Blueberries 40 or Plums 39. This makes them a better source of a fruit snack compared with many other fruits, especially for diabetics.

    “TWO: Helps you sleep better. Tossing and turning at night. Cherry juice to the rescue! Drink cherry juice 30 minutes after waking and 30 minutes before your evening meal. In a study, participants boosted their melatonin intake by following this routine. Cherries are a good source of melatonin. They have also been found to help with jet lag. Note. There is a higher level of melatonin in tart cherries compared to sweet cherries.

    “THREE: Decreases belly fat. According to a study, tart cherries can reduce belly fat. Researchers found that rats fed with tart cherry powder, in a high fat diet, didn’t gain as much weight or build up as much body fat as rats that didn’t.

    “FOUR: Helps ward off Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer’s Association includes cherries as one of the memory-boosting foods because they are rich in antioxidants.

    “FIVE: Reduce risk of stroke. Tart cherries provide cardiovascular benefits. The anthocyanin’s, which are the pigment given a tart cherries its red color, may activate PAR which regulates genes involved in fats and glucose metabolism and, this, reduce risk factors for high cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes.

    “SIX: Slows the aging of skin. Cherries have the highest antioxidants level of any fruit. Antioxidants help the body fight free radicals that make us look old. Drinking one glass of tart cherry juice every day slows down the aging process, according to scientists from the Michigan State University. Cherry juice is also recommended as an alternative treatment for other skin conditions.

    “SEVEN: Lower risks of attacks. Eating cherries lower risk of gout attack by 35 percent. In a study with 633 gout patients, done by Yuqing Zhang, professor of medicine and public health at Boston University, gout patients who consumed cherries over a two day period had a 35 percent lower risk of gout attacks, compared to those who did not eat the cherries.‘Our findings indicate that consuming cherries or cherry extract lowers the risk of gout attack, the gout flare risk continued to decrease with increasing cherry consumption, up to three servings over two days,’ said Zhangs.

    “EIGHT: Reduces muscle pain. A cup and a half of tart cherries or one cup of tart cherry juice can reduce muscle inflammation and soreness, studies suggest. A group of marathon runners drank tart cherry juice for seven days before their race. The group who drank the cherry juice experience less muscle pain after the race than those who drank another fruit juice.

    “NINE: Good for the heart.Cherries are very high in potassium, which helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure and reduces the risk of hypertension. The phytosterols in cherries help reduce bad cholesterol levels.

    “TEN: Helps with osteoarthritis relief. The pain and discomfort of swollen joints were reduced when tart cherry juice was consumed twice a day for three weeks in a study of 20 women ages 40 to 70 with inflammatory osteoarthritis.

    “ELEVEN: Helps to prevent colon cancer. Substances in tart cherries can reduce the formation of the carcinogenic chemicals that develop from charring of hamburger. Researchers added tart cherries to ground beef patties. The tart contents of the cherry patties where, as expected, lower than that of the control patties, whereas the moisture contents were greater.Cherry tissue will not only slow down the oxidation deterioration of meat lipids, but will also substantially reduce the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines.”

    Studies at many top research institutions in Europe and in the United States, including Harvard University validate practically all these folk medicine claims. But it may require eating up to 20 cherries a day to benefit substantially from the healing powers of these fruit. That is why cherry extract are important. They are concentrated for phytochemicals like, for example, a one 1000 milligram tablet of Vitamin C. the average orange contains about 30miligrams of Vitamin C to obtain 1000 milligrams of Vitamin C from consuming oranges everyday. One will have to consume about 30 oranges every day. Where about 3000 milligrams of Vitamin C are needed for therapy every day, who can consume about 1000 oranges in one single day? Cherry extract do come to the rescue similarly where a large consumption of cherries is indicated.

     

    PINEAPPLE PEEL

    elcome again to the world of fruit peels and their nutritional benefits. Overcoming the shock that orange peel is edible and good for the health of humans, as it has been found for animal health, many readers of this column were more at ease last week (04 February, 2016) to consider banana peel in their daily diet. Now, how about pineapple peel? I believe this is not strange for many Nigerians. It is a regular addition to self-help measures in the treatment of typhoid fever.

    Either alone or combined with other helpful herbs, it is boiled and the infusion is taken as tea. One of the helpful ingredients in pineapple peel, pineapple stem or pineapple juice is BROMELAIN. It is a protein-digesting enzymes like the papain present in pawpaw (papaya) leaves, stem sap, fruit or seeds, or like Pepsin present in the human stomach. According to the website www.organicfacts.com:

    “Pineapples are a funny looking fruit with a serious impact on health. Their health and medical benefits include their ability to improve respiratory health, cure coughs and cold, improve digestion, help you lose weight, strengthen bone, improve oral health, boost eye health, reduce inflammation, prevent cancer, increase heart health, fight off infections and parasites, improve the immune system and increase respiration”.

    One of the most well known and most researched medicinal nutrients in pineapple is Bromelain, which is extracted from the stem and core fruit. It is a “complex mixture of substances” from these parts of the pineapple. The best studied among them is a group of phytochemicals which digest protein. This group is called cysteine protein ases. In the past, these substances were believed to be the power of Bromelain and that their work was limited to digestion in the intestine. Today, Bromelain is found to operate beyond the intestinal tract. Bjarnadottir Adda Ms. Says in www.authoritynutrition .com:

    “Pineapples contain not only Bromelain but also Anthocyanins.” she says Bromelain may have ”a number of health benefits such as reducing the risk of cancer, improving gut health and facilitating wound healing.” As for anthocyanins, she says they occur in low amounts, but are “powerful antioxidants that help to reduced risks of many diseases, including heart disease.”

    She suggests the use of pineapple juice to tenderize meat because of the fruits Bromelain content. “Bromelain breaks down the meat proteins”, says Adda. That’s what it does exactly in the intestine.

    ut, like papain in pawpaw seeds or sap, it doesn’t digest the body’s proteins (endogenous proteins). It acts only on exogenous proteins. Since all germs are made of proteins and since these proteins are subject to pepsin (produced in the body) and papain from pawpaw or Bromelain from pineapple, it is easy to appreciate why intestinal germs such as typhoid germs succumb to Bromelain. Therefore, for people who cannot easily digest proteins, or people who consume large amounts of beef or fish or beans or other forms of protein, it is not a bad idea to include Bromelain extracts in the diet as food supplement.Where there are not readily available, pineapple peel may be washed well in saline water or vinegar solution, diced and added to foods to steam just before the pot is taken off the stove.

    Bromelain

    In www.draze.com, Dr. Axe lets us into personal experience:

    “The pineapple is as intimidating as the porcupine, yet equally intoxicating because of its juicy, sweet golden flesh. What most people do not realize about this tasty fruit, however, is that it is infinitely more useful to humans than just as a garnishing for tropical drinks. It is literally a true medicine! “Used widely as a natural remedy to treat everything from indigestion to allergies, Ingredients in pineapple peel, pineapple stem or pineapple juice is BROMELAIN a protein-digesting enzymes like the pepsin present is brimming over with Vitamin C, B1, Potassium and Manganese.

    In addition to these phytonutrients, it appears that the secret to its almost supernatural healing power comes from a protein-digesting enzyme called Bromelain. In fact, pineapple is one of the richest sources of Bromelain in the world.

    In the medical world, this fascinating compound has traditionally been used as a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling agent.

    Additionally, recent studies have shown us that it stops lung metastasis in its tracks which suggests that Bromelain can be used to treat a wide range of disease. Also, because it is commonly used as a meat tenderizer, Bromelain can also help soothe and relax tense, inflamed muscles and connective tissue: The widespread healing power of this enzyme is truly remarkable! When I looked at the scientific literature, I found that Bromelain has been used to treat a wide range of health problems, including:

    • ACL Tears
    • Allergies
    • Arthritis and joint pain
    • Asthma
    • Autoimmune disease
    • Cancer
    • Inflammatory Bowel Disease
    • Sinus infections
    • Sprained ankles
    • Tendonitis.

    Of the 1600 article evaluating the medicinal benefits of Bromelain, I decided to narrow this brief review to some of the more important topics because of their prevalence in our society and because of the sheer volume of research that support its use.

    Because pineapple is a popular fruit in Nigeria available in the market almost throughout the year, and because Bromelain has been around for some time on the health store medicine shelves, this column will give Dr. Axe the floor next week (18 February 2016).

  • ‘Nigeria’s herbal medicine industry worth $100b’

    ‘Nigeria’s herbal medicine industry worth $100b’

    THE Chairman, Bio-Resources Development Group, BDG, Maurice Iwu, has urged Nigerians to explore the huge potential inherent in herbal medicine to grow the economy.

    Iwu, a Professor of Pharmacognosy, made the appeal during the HerbFEST 2014, an Herb, Health Food and Natural Products Expo, organised by the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency in Lagos.

    According to him, herbal medicine is a multibillion dollar industry that could change the fortunes of the Nigerian economy.

    “Herbal medicine is a $100billion industry and our hope is to stimulate interest both of industrialists and the general public to the enormous potential this sector holds.

    “It is something worth exploring that could add positively to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, and that could be some sort of income for the whole country,” he said.

    Iwu, a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said Nigeria has to create an enabling environment that would promote the growth of the herbal medicine industry.

    “Nigeria needs the development of its scientific infrastructure and economy in order to encourage growth and stimulation in the herbal medicine industry.

    “This requirement is necessary for the investor to see that the industry is viable to invest in,” he stressed.

    The BDG chairman said that indigenous herbal medicine could be boosted as long as Nigerians had confidence that their home-grown products could be used as medicine.

    Also speaking at the event, Trade Officer, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr William Ezeagu, said the country has a lot of herbal products which are yet to secure the desired patronage.

    Ezeagu said, “In Nigeria, we have so many products but they are not getting the patronage that they deserve.”

    Ezeagu urged value addition to herbal products to enhance their purchases.

    He said the quality, packaging and branding of a product would give it a focus and the attention it would need for recognition.

  • The other side of herbal medicine

    The other side of herbal medicine

    The rain had just subsided. Johnson (not real name) who had just arrived Port Harcourt after a long journey disembarked from the vehicle. He had been battling with Hermorrhoids for some months.

    The showman appeared from nowhere, advertising his herbal products.

    “Doctor Cure It All” – that was the name he called himself – said: “Just a bottle for N200 and your entire gonorrhoea, malaria, dysentery, pile, ulcer, diabetes, syphilis and all kinds of nyama-nyama (bad) disease go vamoose.”

    His voice echoed to the entire perimeter of the motor park, drawing attention of pedestrians and motorists alike. Johnson, mesmerized completely, moved close to Doctor Cure It All, to buy a bottle of the concoction. He hurried home to share the liquid with his family. After he took the concoction, he found himself in the hospital the next day. Johnson had a deadly gastroenteritis. But for the quick intervention of his family physician, he would have kissed the world goodbye.

    This is one incident out of many, indicating the ganger inherent in the use of herbal mixtures, whose contents are not clearly spelt out. It also shows the unwholesome practice by some of the practitioners. Many have been as lucky as Johnson; they are dead as a result of the poisonous herbal products.

    It is common knowledge that anything called drug is meant to heal or kill as the case maybe. For the drugs that heal, utter caution must be observed in their production, packaging, distribution, sale and general handling. This reason disqualifies the consumption of certain forms of herbal mixtures for the treatment of diseases because there is a deviation from this standard.

    “Doctors” in herbal practice always say “where the rarity of modern medicine has failed, the potency of herbs should hold sway” (the expression is for those who pay attention to them). They are known to treat patients with herbs in preference to pharmaceutical drugs.

    Herbal mixtures are derived from plants-roots, leaves, stems, fruits, seeds, shells, bee products, mineral and certain animal parts.

    The success of herbal mixtures in our contemporary society is unparallel and this venture has attracted both the quacks and derelicts who claim they inherited the skills from their parents or grandparents. These quacks have brainwashed many unsuspecting people with claims that their concoction is multi-functional but does that have an iota of truth?

    Some herbal medicine practitioners have peddled falsehood for decades, making people to believe that all herbal products are good. It is necessary to note that not all fruits or tree bark you are edible. Some could be poisonous. Majority of herbal medicine in circulation today are poisonous concoctions.

    Every medicine has adverse effects; that is why an overdose of any drug has grievous consequences. In drug administration, precision is the watchword when it comes to dosage. What could be safe for an under 10 years may not be the same for an adult. What would be considered safe for a pregnant woman may not be safe for another above 60.

    Dosage in most herbal medical practice is not guided by scientific precision. Therefore, most of the herbal concoctions are unsafe for human or animal consumption.

    Research has linked cancers, renal failures, cardiac disorders, and liver cirrhosis to the consumption or intake of toxic substances over a period of time. It should be noted that some of the herbal mixtures’ components are extracts that could be toxic to the body.

    Neem Tree (Azadirachta indica) commonly called Dongo yaro is a herbal tree, which has been effective against plasmodium falciparum but a certain research by a Nigerian professor of pharmacology, Maurice Iwu, and his colleagues in 1987 at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka found that an overuse of Dongo yaro concoction could be lethal in laboratory rats and rhesus monkeys.

    It is about time excesses of herbal practitioner are curbed, especially those with no scientific backgrounds. They should have sincerity of purpose for whatever that is worth doing is worth doing well. Today, China exports their herbal medicine to the United Kingdom and other countries because it produces quality herbal medicine. Chinese are not into it to line their own pockets but to contribute their own quota for the general wellbeing of humanity. Same should be replicated in this part.

    Regulatory agencies, such as National Agency for Food, Drug and Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association of Nigeria and Council for Alternative Medical Practice in Nigeria should rise to this challenge. They should ensure that all herbal products are registered and their distribution, regulated.

    Enlightenment programmes should be organised from time to time by these agencies to acquaint herbal medicine practitioners and consumers of good and bad sides of herbal products, with best practices in herbal medicine production and how to detect a fake herbal mixture.

    Finally, people should regulate what they permit into their system. Taking care of our body is good because it is the only place we have to live.

     

    Chris recently finished from Microbiology, UNIPORT

  • Herbal medicine practitioners plan to build hospitals

    THE Nigeria Union of Medical Herbal Practitioners (Lagos State Chapter) has called on the Lagos State government to allocate land to the union to build General Hospitals and Maternity Centres across the state for the practice of traditional medicine. The over two million members-strong union appealed to Governor Babatunde Fashola to accede to their request as a parting gift and a lasting legacy for the promotion of herbal medicine practice, which it claimed has been and will continue to compliment orthodox medical practice in Lagos State and in Nigeria at large. Addressing a press conference in Lagos, the Iyalode General of the Union, Dr. Ayoka Ogunpeju – Oguntokun flanked by Dr. Sabiu Adeokin, State Chairman of the Union stated that having their own separate general hospital and maternity centres will create a forum for government to properly monitor their practice, confirm the efficacy of their medicine and be able to regulate them more effectively. The herbal medicine practitioners argued that despite huge patronages of their practice by large numbers of patients for treatment of various ailments and even traditional surgeries, the state government has not been giving enough attention to the practice of herbal medicine in the state; hence they crave for better recognition for their practice. The union commended the health policy of Governor Fashola, particularly the citing of General hospitals in virtually all local government areas in Lagos State, as well as the policy of free health care for children and the aged. Dr. Ogunpeju Oguntokun further explained that the general hospital they are seeking to build would have facilities like botanical garden, training centres and traditional surgeries among others.