Plant Resources of Tropical Africa

PROTA information and related sources have been used to develop various herbal medicine products, and a good number registered with the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of Nigeria.  The impact of PROTA information through Herbal products is felt beyond national and regional borders into Europe and America among mostly the immigrants.  Six well-established, educated traditional medicine practitioners in south west Nigeria participated in an evaluation exercise to establish the contribution of PROTA information to herbal medicine practice. Four of the respondents got into herbal medicine practice by training, three had a personal interest in this practice, and five had a family heritage of the practice.  The evaluation revealed that the six herbalists have developed about 250 products for the treatment of many ailments including hypertension, stroke, arthiritis, cough, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, measles, diabetes, prostate, non-malignant prostritis, pile, liver disorders, laxative, anti-cancer, detoxifiers, low libido, fatigue, rheumatism, eczema, pimples, malaria, sickle cell anemia, asthma, blood infection, anaemia, sickball, blood infection, cancer (internal and external), epilepsy, fibroid, infertility, pneumonia, malaria, typhoid, skin infections, low sperm count, and weak libido, ulcer, stroke, gynecological problems, HIV/AIDS, STIs, toothaches.

The common medicinal plants species used for the products include Allium cepa, Newbouldia laevis, Aloe vera, Acalypha ciliata, Capsicium frutsescence, Alstonia boonei, Fagara, Zanthooxy loides, Allium sativum, Zingiber officinalis, Hypoestes verticularis, Jatropha gossypium, Citrus aurantifolia, Citurs sinensis, Ocimum gratissimum, Mormodica charantia, Visium album, Garlic, Phyllanthus amarus, roots of bitter leaf plant, Vernonia amygdalina, Lycopersicum esculentum, Datura rulet, Sileriula setigera, and Danielia stiver. The herbalists reported that there are other desired plants which are not readily available to them. For example, Hydrangia arborescens (usually recommended for gout), Eupatorium purpureum (for kidney stones), Apium graqveolens (relieves arthritis), Artium lappa  (Burdock) eliminates uric acid metabolites, Serenoa repens (sow palmetto), Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), Echinacea augustifolia, and Horpagophytum procumbens. These plants were accessed mainly from the wild and from the local market by the herbalists.  Four of them claimed that they cultivated some of the medicinal plants.

The information from PROTA resources on uses, properties, botany, ecology, management, handling after harvest, genetic resources and breeding and prospects was considered very useful for the selection of plant species for use. Two herbalists indicated their products are distributed in patent medicine stores in Nigeria, UK and USA. Other distribution outlets include clinical centers (to avoid adulteration), through person to person navigation, and personal patronage.

Apart from the development of herbal products, PROTA information and related sources also contributed to formal and informal training of Herbal Medicine Practitioners.   Three of the herbalists stated that they undertook certificate, diploma, workshop and seminar training programs on the use of medicinal plants for household members and others. At least 15 people had been trained formally and over 700 informally in the practice as at September 2010. The trainees included students, colleagues and entrepreneurs.

PROTA information also aided in publication of herbal remedies in journals, newspapers, conference proceedings and public lectures they have articles or publications on diabetes, hypertension, sexually transmitted diseases, kidney & renal failure, stroke, arthritis, gout in books, newspapers, and conference proceedings, Journals, and faculty lectures. Some were published by the local partners between 2001 and 2010. The titles of the articles/publications included:

1. Diabetes, Hypertension, Sexually Transmitted diseases, kidney & renal failure
2. Natural Healthcare Series
3. Monthly journals on health topics, for example, piles, fibroids, cancer, low libido, hypertension, infertility, malaria, e.t.c
4. Nature’s Pharmacy in Man’s Immediate Environment.  Implications for Primary Health Care Delivery (Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry lecture).

Overall, the herbalists were well informed and exhibited overwhelming awareness and use of herbal medicine by the general public and the possible overshadowing of orthodox medicine by herbal medicine in the near future in this part of the world. This they attributed to efficacy of herbal medicine, its ease of preparation, holistic approach, less cumbersomeness and non-side effects as common with orthodox medicine. They welcomed updates from PROTA to improve their herbal remedies. They also called for collaborative efforts between them and PROTA in improving and updating information base, particularly in the areas of standardization and stabilization of medicines.   This demonstrates the eagerness to use PROTA information by the practitioners, its relevance and high impact on the health status of the citizens.  The herbalists interviewed also noted some important herbal plants which were not contained in PROTA information such as Hydrangia arborescens, Eupatorium purpureum, Apium graqveolens, Artium lappa, Serenoa repens, Panax giseng, Echinacea augustifolia and Horpagophytum procumbens, and they are willing to act as veritable sources for updating PROTA information.