Traditional Medicine in Africa 

Maria Wollak

Eng. 191 section 21

Roland Specht-Jarvis

December 14th 2009

Millions of people die each year due to AIDS, cancers, and other diseases that modern medicine has not found a cure for. Practitioners of traditional African medicine claim the ability to treat and cure many of these conditions. Can we believe what they say? Will there soon come a time when we have to set aside modern medicine and look into medicine practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences of indigenous cultures to maintain our health, as well as prevent, diagnose, improve or treat physical and mental illness? As we try to understand this idea of incorporating traditional medicine practices into our lives, we need to first get a general idea of what it is and how it is applied, we also need to compare the positive and negative effects of this medicine, and last take a look at how other countries, especially the United States view this practice.

“Traditional African Medicine is a Holistic discipline involving extensive use of indigenous herbalism combined with the aspects of African spirituality.” (3) The practitioners of traditional African medicine include diviners, midwives, and herbalists. Diviners are responsible for determining the cause of illness, midwives aid a mother in childbirth with the help of indigenous plants, and herbalists identify, harvest and trade the plants used for healing the sick. These three types of practitioners do not go through numerous years of school and training like the medical doctors we see in America, African healers are so called “chosen” they are said to be given spiritual gifts from God and ones ancestors, they are allowed to use herbs in a way that is hidden from the average person to heel the sick. There is a great number of these chosen heelers in Africa, the WHO estimates that up to 80% of the population in Africa makes use of traditional medicine. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the ratio of traditional healers to the population is approximately 1:500, while medical doctors have a 1:40,000 ratio to the rest of the population. Clearly traditional healers and their medicine play an influential role in the lives of African people, yet can we say it will in countries or cultures outside of Africa?

The practice of traditional medicine places a major emphasis on determining the root cause underlying any sickness or bad luck. Writer David Helwig states “Illness is said to stem from a lack of balance between the patient and his or her social environment. It is this imbalance that determines the choice of the healing plant, which is valued as much for its symbolic and spiritual significance as for its medicinal effect. For example, the colors white, black, and red are considered especially symbolic or magical. Seeds, leaves, and twigs bearing these colors are deemed to possess special properties.”(3) Such herbal remedies are largely used in traditional African medicine, the healing qualities in these plants can vary from, a potential treatment of HIV to the ability to treat afflictions of the mind. When traditional medicine is viewed from outside of the African culture, most of the emphasis is placed on just the plants or herbal remedies. The spiritual aspects of the heeling is dismissed and looked at as wrong, many view this practice witchcraft. In colonial time traditional medicine was outlawed for that reason. In the African culture there are a numerous other ways to heel a person other than the herbal medicine, sometimes the use of possession, or animal and human sacrifices are put into play to increase the power of the medicine. We will mainly view the use of plants in traditional medicine throughout this paper, for that is what the United states and other countries are most interested in. 

Although many of the principles and methods of traditional African medicine are quite foreign to modern medical thinking, there is nonetheless considerable interest in exploring Africa's use of plant knowledge for drug-development purposes. Much research has been done to prove many of Africa’s indigenous plants, if used correctly can help cure a wide variety of ailments. With a few statistics we can see that much of todays prescriptions were derived first from the practices of traditional medicine. “More than two thirds of the world's plant species at least 35,000 of which are estimated to have medicinal value come from developing countries” (7) “Three quarters of plants that provide active ingredients for prescription drugs came to the attention of researchers because of their use in traditional medicine.” (7)  Many traditional African remedies are going through numerous laboratory and animal tests to prove there quality and to ensure they are not toxic. One herb, Gawo, has done very well through these tests. Gawo is used in traditional treatments, has been tested in rats by researchers from Nigeria's University and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development. According to research in the African Journal of Biotechnology, Gawo passed the tests and is proven to reduced induced fevers, diarrhea and inflammation. (6)

Another great find in herbal medicine was the plant Prunus Africana, this plant has been sold in Europe since the 1970s as a treatment for mild to moderate benign prostatic hyperplasia. “In Africa, the bark is made into a tea. Elsewhere in the world, it is sold in powders, tinctures, and pills, often combined with other herbs believed to help with prostate problems. Users report greater ease of urination, with reduced inflammation and cholesterol deposits.” (7) Other African plants have been said to treat high blood pressure, cholera, infertility, epilepsy, asthma, eczema, hayfever, anxiety, depression, urinary tract infections, gout, and the healing of wounds and burns. (3) What we see not included in the above list is AIDS, can we somehow believe traditional healers have found a potential treatment of AIDS? Throughout my research I have came to the conclusion that they cannot. Herbal treatments are generally designed to cure individual symptoms of AIDS, such as nausea, weakness, and insomnia. The herbal medicines will simply elongates the life of a person living with AIDS. Traditional healers may not be able to cure this disease but they are still well appreciated in easing the burden of it. Traditional healers vastly overshadow biomedical doctors in terms of numbers in Africa, they are for many people, in more convenient locations, and are more likely to visit patients at home, especially those who are increasingly immobilized by advanced stages of AIDS. So the answer is no, herbal traditional medicine cannot cure this devastating disease, but it is doing just as western medicine, helping ease its effects on the people living with it. (4)

As can be seen there are many benefits to the use of herbal medicine, but while researching one can as well find a few negative effects of using this type of medicine. The safety and effectiveness of alternative medicines have not been scientifically proven and remain largely unknown. A number of herbs are thought to be likely to cause adverse effects. "Adulteration, inappropriate formulation, or lack of understanding of plant and drug interactions have led to adverse reactions that are sometimes life threatening or lethal.” (6) One example of a commonly wrongly identified plant is a species of aloe; aloe is extensively used in traditional African medicine, but some forms such as Aloe globiligemma are toxic and can result in death if used. The same goes for the ornamental tree Calotropis procera, with its medicinally useful bark yret lethal flowers, the same plant has both beneficial and toxic effects. “Many herbs have shown positive results with in-vitro, animal model or small-scale clinical tests, but many studies on herbal treatments have also found negative results.” (5) The quality of the trials on herbal remedies is highly variable and many trials of herbal treatments have been found to be of poor quality. 

One other negative effect of traditional medicine include, the endangering of local plant populations. Yes, it is seen that the Prunus Africana plant that is curing many men of prostate problems, but how long can we cut down this wild plant before it goes extinct?  On January 18, 2008, the Botanic Gardens Conservation International stated that “400 medicinal plants are at risk of extinction, from over-collection and deforestation, threatening the discovery of future cures for disease." These included Yew Trees (the bark is used for cancer drugs, paclitaxel; Hoodia (from Namibia, source of weight loss drugs); half of Magnolias (used as Chinese medicine for 5,000 years to fight cancer, dementia and heart disease); and Autumn crocus (for gout). (1) If the use of this plant life for medicine, and the decline of the growth of these species increases, the future of potential global health care will certainly be damaged. Along with a non regulation of cutting down African wild plants there is also low regulation on the practice and distribution of traditional medicine. 

“Not many countries have national policies for traditional medicine. Regulating traditional medicine products, practices and practitioners is difficult due to variations in definitions and categorizations of traditional medicine therapies.” (6) Traditional medicine is of course Africa’s prominent way of handling the sick, but because of colonialism and the mixing of cultures in Africa, western medicine is becoming highly common and developing greater each year. Author David Helwig describes a town incorporating the mixing of both traditional and western medicine in his article from the Encyclopedia of Traditional Alternative Medicine. In the town of KwaMhlanga, South Africa there sits a hospital said to be the first of its kind. Founded by a traditional African healer, this 48 room hospital implicates the techniques of both traditional healing and western healing methods. Governments and researchers in several countries have begun to bridge the gap between the two healthcare systems using modern science to confirm the effectiveness of ancient remedies. In some places such as South Africa where traditional medicine is being integrated into existing health systems, the use of both systems of medicine is actively encouraged. Many countries in Africa are open to western technology but still stay rooted in their own cultural and social values, here traditional and modern medical therapies tend to converge. The result could mean a formal relationship between a patient and physician with the more spiritual bond between patient and traditional healer.

So far we see much information on the mixing of theses two practices to be beneficial, yet there is a slight tendency in the western oriented tradition to focus on the risks and pay down traditional African medicine and healers. As described by De Smet “It is unfair to pas judgement on African healing systems, but we cannot deny the drawbacks of traditional medicine, which include incorrect diagnosis, imprecise dosage, low hygiene standards, the secrecy of some healing methods and the absence of written records about the patients.” (2) The way African traditional medicine is preformed is unsuitable for cultures outside of Africa such as the United States, but for those living in the outskirts of Africa, where modern medicine is unreachable, and those who have believed in this from the stories of their ancient ancestors, this medicine can be an amazing gift to their well being and life longevity. 

In conclusion, African society has been relying on traditional medicine to heal their sick for thousands of years. Traditional medicine is the use of indigenous herbalism combined with the aspects of African spirituality; this practice is not only still predominately used in Africa today, but also becoming well recognized by many cultures outside of Africa. The use of herbal remedies has been proven to help heal many medical ailments yet can also cause adverse affects even more difficult problems if used incorrectly. Although there are many diverse views on traditional medicine in the United States, our society may need to look more into the combination of western medicine with traditional medicine. It is possible we can gain more knowledge on the treatment of such diseases as AIDS and cancer. Both practices can work together to formulate new ideas and use each others research to ensure the use of safe, effective and quality products and practices. If we can acknowledge traditional medicine as part of primary health care, we can possibly increase access to care and preserve resources.

Works Cited

(1) BBC news, . "Medicinal plants 'facing threat'." BBC News Health 19 Jan. 2008: 1. Web. 7 Dec 2009. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7196702.stm>. 

(2) De Smet, Peter. "Herbs, health and healers: Africa as Ethnopharmacological ." (1999): Print.

(3) Helwig, David. "Traditional African Medicine." Answers.com. 11/24/09. Answers Corporation, Web. 24 Nov 2009. <http://www.answers.com/topictraditionalafrican-medicine>.

(4) Mills, Edward, Curtis Cooper, and Izzy Kanfer. Traditional African medicine in the treatment of HIV. 5. The Lancet, 2005. 465-467. Print.

(5) Serbulea, Mihaela. "Old meets new in West Africa's medicine mix." SciDev Net 1. (2005): 2. Web. 7 Dec 2009. <http://www.scidev.net/en/ featuresold-meets-new-in-west-africas-medicine-mix.html>.

(6) Van Der Geest, Sjaak, The professionalization of African Medicine. 1st. 59. Manchester: manchester university press, U.K, 1986. 130-146. Print.

(7) "World Health organization." Traditional Medicine. Dec. 2008. WHO Media centre, Web. 7 Dec 2009. <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets fs134/en/>.