Martin facilitating a learning session on plant medicine at TICAH's medicinal garden at the National Museums of Kenya
© TICAH
Mr. Martin Onyalo Odhiambo is a traditional herbal practitioner who handles herbal plants to help cure different ailments and diseases in human and animals. Based at the Medicinal Garden at the National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi, he works for Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH) as a program coordinator on plant medicine.
I became herbalist by inheritance, I lived with my grandparents who were both herbalists. My grandfather treated men while my grandmother cared for girls and women using locally available plants and herbs found in our farm and within the community. This sparked my interest in plants at a young age and a call from my grandparents, I loved agriculture and developed interest in plants of any type but more so got interested on how some plants can be mixed together to heal a body disease by different methods of utilization i.e. boiling, soaking, burning, pounding, chewing, roasting, steaming etc.
Mr. Odhiambo started practicing herbal medicine on chicken and dogs in his rural village. He was curious on why the dogs chewed grass and why the chicken coughed and had whizzing sounds sometime whilst breathing, that was when his grandfather introduced him to herbal healing. “My grandfather told me to pound hot pepper mixed with Aloe Secundiflora leaves and Kendogensis Foetidissima and to add water before administering the concoction to the chicken, I noticed that after a few days the chicken were healed. This fascinated me, how can simple herbs heal, with encouragement from my grandparents, I started to successfully treat myself and my family members with assorted plant remedies whenever cases of coughs, headaches, chest congestions would arise,” stated Mr. Odhiambo.
In most cases, knowledge of traditional medicine is passed down from generation to generation and stays in the family. Herbalists are faced with numerous challenges for example: younger generations are slowly losing interest in traditional medicine; healers are dying and with them their knowledge; medical industry have taken advantage of insufficient policies on traditional medicine and developed their own drugs, based on traditional knowledge for which they have no copyrights; and insufficient knowledge and capacity by herbalists on procedures on how to patent, clinically test and sell their products.
Even before the introduction of modern medicine in Africa, ailments and diseases were treated by herbal doctors who administered medicine from their natural environment. Indeed, modern medicine sprung out of, and continue to get inspiration from, the traditional knowledge on natural remedies including medicinal plants. Herbalists have been providing herbs as home remedies to boost immunity of community members. The symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to symptoms of other common cold diseases. Therefore, commonly used preventive measure could be used curb the spread. For example, steaming under a blanket to relieve chest congestions, chew tree backs for dry coughs, inhale some leaves to clear the nasal congestions, have been used as preventive measures. Taking a lot of herbal teas will help to boost the body’s immunity from plants like Cympobogon Citratus,Cucuma Longa ,Artemisia Annua ,Ajuga Remota among others. For breathing difficulties plants like Toddalia Asiatica, Zanthonxyllum Usambarensis, Warbugia Ugandensis, Fagara Microphylla among others have been used.
“Africa is lucky to have over 34 research institutions working on Traditional Medicine” - Dr. Falihery Razafindrabe, Pharmaceutical Adviser, Focal Point for Traditional Medicine, WHO Madagascar.
In a joint effort to consolidate, share research and knowledge around traditional medicines in response to COVID-19 in Africa, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) organized a webinar on Traditional and Complementary Medicine in the Eastern Africa Region, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the African Union Commission and Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH).
In Africa, traditional medicine is culturally entrenched, accessible, and affordable, and serves as primary source for healthcare to more than 80% of the population across the continent. This practice capitalizes on the rich biodiversity (plants and herbs) and effectively balance the relationship between man and nature, as well as indigenous knowledge passed on through generations. Traditional medicine is also important because it represents a multibillion industry that can help boost the economy of a country, if well managed.
WHO/Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention 25-expert advisory committee was launched to provide independent scientific advice and support to countries on the continent to enhance the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicine therapies. During the Webinar, WHO reiterated the call to African governments, to accord formal recognition to traditional medicine, create an enabling environment for its practice, and integrate the time-honored system of medicine into their national health systems, as supported by the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy (2014-2023). The 2014-2023 strategy acknowledges the growing need to harness the potential contribution of traditional and complementary medicines to health and wellness as well as the promotion and integration of traditional medicine products, practitioners and practice into health systems.
“Traditional medicine is a common Heritage that African countries share. For example, the Madagascar tonic known as COVID-Organics intrigued the interest of many Member States and the need for it to be recognized as medical therapy for COVID-19 has sparked debate worldwide. In light of this, the African Union Commission was requested by Member States to organize a continental dialogue on traditional medicine”. Dr. Mahama Ouedraogo, Director of Human Resources, Science and Technology, Africa Union Commission.
The online meeting further gave opportunity to researchers and academia from Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar and Uganda to weigh in on the matter and share their perspectives and experiences. In the presentations, there were multiple requests for governments to play a central role to create the much needed enabling environment which can allow the practice of traditional medicine to flourish.
We will improve the value and recognition of traditional medicine if we place the practioners at the center of policy formulation and implementation. Within their grassroots networks they can learn from each other, challenge each other and address the questions of ethical practice that often pose a challenge to the sector
In conclusion, Africa has the capacity to consolidate the knowledge that is readily available on the continent to provide traditional medical therapies that are affordable and safe for public health, including to face important sanitary crises as COVID-19. UNESCO will continue to use its convening power to enhance dialogue on traditional and complementary medicine, as well as its wealth of biodiversity and the effective management of this indigenous knowledge embedded in intangible cultural heritage of different peoples and communities, while also bringing to the front the ethical dimensions as well as human rights, as encapsulated in the UNESCO Universal Declaration of Bioethics and Human Rights.
This was well captured by Mrs. Ann Therese Ndong Jatta, Director, UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, when she called for a better recognition, proper national investment, effective structuring, protection, promotion and valorization, setting and reinforcement of regional and national mechanisms as well as capacity building for sustainability, so that the role and potential of traditional and contemporary medicine in Africa is fully tapped into, for effective response to COVID-19.