Can herbal concoctions cure malaria?
I remember when I was about eight years old, I was ferried to my grandmother to live with her. For the three years I stayed with her, I frequently fall sick, and my sickness was always malaria and the only remedy I was always given was Agbo, the Yoruba name given to herbal concoctions, since there was no hospital, in the nearest vicinity of our village that I could have been treated with conventional malaria drugs. Surprisingly enough, the Agbo was always enough to restore me back to good health. But I would have to gulp as many cups, as my anorexic and emetic stomach could tolerate. Though, I only loved the pleasant-tasting ones, but they were few in the herbal shops. But somehow, my grandmother never disappointed in getting me the palatable ones. But unknown to her, most of those illnesses were feigned by me so as for me to be feasted on Ofada rice and the peculiar aromatised stew masterly crafted into being with iru, a seasoning made from fermenting locust beans (Parkiabiglobosa). That had to be, because, in the 70s and early 80s Nigeria and even earlier times than that, rice was only consumed during Christmas and New Year celebrations. Children were only opportune to eat rice at other times of the year, only when there were Owambe Parties, the get-together parties organised as part of obsequies of prominent dead people, and infrequently for naming newborn babies etc. But such parties werent of common sight in our village back then, so it was my own invention of not missing out on feasting on Ofada rice, anytime I desired it. In trying to answer this, it is good to start answering this question by stating that all drugs being sold and being used to treat diseases are synthesised plant extracts. This clearly shows that because herbal concoctions are from plants, they surely also have some medicinal properties. Interestingly enough, many plants are adduced to be effective against malaria. For instance, the following plants have proven anti-malaria properties: Azadirachtaindica, otherwise called the Neem plant (Dongoyaro), Pycnanthusangolensis (Akwa-mili (Igbo), Akomu (Yoruba) and African nutmeg in English), Vemoniaamygdalina(Ewuro (Yoruba), Onugbu (Igbo) ,Chusardoki (Hausa) and bitter leaf in English). Others are:Morindalucida(Oruwo (Yoruba), Eze-ogu (Igbo) and Brimstone tree in English), Cedrelaodorata(and Spanish Cedar in Engish),Tithonia, diversifola (Sepeleba (Yoruba), and Sun-flower in English), Ageratum conyzoides. More interesting also is the fact that using plants to treat malaria and some other diseases is not peculiar to the indigenous people of Nigeria, the use is global. For example, Quinine extracted from the bark of Cinchona tree has effectively being used as an anti-malaria since the mid-17th century. Many other plant extracts that have been formulated into drugs and popularly used as anti-malaria include primaquine, quinacrine and chloroquine. Even the Artemisinin-based combination therapy, being presently canvassed, by the World Health Organisation, as the most effective treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria, has its backbone in the extract of the Chinese plant Artemisia annua. Even though, extracts from plants have been found to be efficacious against malaria and other diseases, the snag in it is that, the way they are measured in the traditional setting have never been subjected to extensive testing to determine their most efficacious doses and their harmful doses as well as side effects. They are usually administered as tolerated by the sick person. So, too little or too much doses may eventually be administered. However, it should be borne in mind that all drugs even when used in the presupposes right doses can still be toxic to our kidneys, hearts and livers and other bodily organs. They can also cause rashes and other allergic skin reactions, as well as neurotoxicity and gastroenteritis not to talk of when unregulated doses of herbal concoctions are consumed. Of interest also is the fact that not all chemicals found in medicinal plants are useful, there are some that are even dangerous, so modern pharmaceutical practice is to extract the needed active ingredients from these medicinal plants and discard the rest of their products that are not medicinally useful but that may be toxic. This care is, however, not taken in the consumption of herbal concoctions. It is, therefore, expedient to medically advise people to desist from indiscriminate consumption of herbal concoctions so as not to expose themselves to the inherent toxicity in the unregulated dosage and contents of the plants consumed in order to achieve cheap cure to diseases. Otherwise, it may be a case of someone being penny wise but being pound foolish. Because the cost of seeking remedy to the bodily damages they cause, is usually too overwhelming for most pockets. Sad enough, most would end up succumbing to the repercussions caused by their deleterious effects on the body. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]