Traditional Healers’ Approach to Malaria Treatment

1. AFRICA HERBAL ANTIMALARIA MEETING Traditional Healers’ Approach to Malaria Treatment By TOGBEGA DR. DABRA VI (PHARMACIST, TRADITIONAL/ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE CONSULTANT, PARAMOUNT CHIEF AND PRESIDENT/CEO OF PROMETRA GHANA NGO). ICRAF NAIROBI, KENYA, 20 – 22 MARCH, 2006

2. INTRODUCTION • Malaria affects over 500 million people and kills more than two million each year. Africa is most affected by malaria. With malaria, one African dies very 30 seconds. • From time immemorial, Traditional Healers have been treating and managing malaria and other fevers with effective herbal medicine in Africa. • It is now clear that, some orthodox antimalarials such as Chloroquine have become ineffective in the treatment of malaria. For this reason, WHO has recommended Artemisinin–Amodiaquine combination for the treatment of malaria in Africa. • Even during the Chloroquine therapy days, African healers were still treating malaria with their herbal remedies. Combination treatment of malaria and other diseases is not a new thing to the African Traditional Healer. That is what the healer is used to. However, the Traditional Healer does not combine herbs with chemicals. He will always caution his patient that “When taking this herbal medication, do not take any orthodox medicine concurrently!” Therefore, in looking for combination therapy for malaria, it is necessary to consult the African Healers for the combination therapies they employ effectively in malaria treatment.

3. Traditional Medicine Clinic / Centre This is one of such Modern Traditional Medicine Clinics in Accra In Ghana, Traditional Medicine practice has come of age especially in the big towns and cities. One can easily walk into Herbal Clinics/Centers' which are well equipped with modern laboratories and very hygienic environment and get treatment comparable to Orthodox treatment.

4. This is the dispensary of the Herbal clinic

5. The Laboratory with some equipments

6. MALARIA SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS • The signs and symptoms of Malaria that the Healer normally looks for include: • Chills and Headaches that come and go • High temperature • General weakness • Loss of appetite • Bodily pains • Feverish conditions that reoccurs every 2 or 3 days • Nausea • Patient looking pale • Heavily sweating etc.

7. Treatment • First Aid / Supportive treatment options • (i) Cold bath or Sponging to reduce the temperature • (ii) Neem leaves steam inhalation and bath • (iii) Eucalyptus leaves steam inhalation and bath • Herbal Remedies treatment options for Malaria • (iv) Pawpaw leaves, Neem leaves/Bitter leaves, boiled together in water and cooled. • 30mls taken 3 x daily x 7 days • Cryptolepis roots boiled in water, cooled and sieved. • 30mls to be taken 2 x daily x 7 days.

8. Products used for treatment and management of malaria All these which have gone through phytochemical analysis and Toxicological Tests at the WHO - Collaborative Centre for Scientific Research Into Plant Medicine and registered by the Food and Drugs Board of Ghana (FDB). These groups of preparations have been found to destroy the plasmodium Accra • Some of the products used for treatment and management of malaria include: • Nasra Tablets, • Malaherb Capsules/Mixture • Apamal Mixture • Nibima • Herbaquine • Alomal Mixture • Phyto-Laria Tea

9. Nutritional Supplements • You cannot talk of treating Malaria without food supplements. • The following products have been found to be beneficial in treatment and management of malaria and other fevers. • Fruit juices • Vegetable juice • Pepper soups with spices and • Moringa powder

10. WHY COMBINATION THERAPY BY THE HEALER? • Indigenous /Traditional Science found out in several years of experience in practice that in some cases it is only by combining certain herbs in a remedy that the healing expected can be achieved. • Each medicinal plant employed in the combination, helps to clear one or more of the symptoms and hence the final preparation/product heals the patient completely.

11. Selected Plants and their Medicinal Uses Examples of some Medicinal Plants used as Constituents/Ingredients in the antimalarial preparations but which may not have direct parasiticidal effect on the plasmodium parasites.

14. Modern Scientific Research • Most of these Medicinal Plants/herbs used in the treatment of Malaria are undergoing scientific research in Ghana as well as some other African countries. This is to help promote wider use of the most effective herbal antimalarials. • Some of the healers are co-operating with the research scientists by submitting their preparations to the Research Centres for evaluation.

15. PREVENTION • The Traditional Healer, apart from being a physician, he is also a counsellor. He understands perfectly the old adage which says, “Prevention is better than cure”. • In the case of Malaria patient after he/she recovers the healer advises him/her on the following: • Using mosquito nets when sleeping. • Keeping his or her surroundings clean and clears of old cans, stagnant water and all breeding places of mosquito. • Avoiding mosquito bites by applying mosquito herb/plant ointment on the skin when outside the room during evenings/nights • Burning lime/lemon/orange peels/mosquito plant on charcoal in the room with windows and doors closed at least for one or two hours. Remove and open windows at least one hour before going to bed.

16. NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE AND HERBAL MEDICINE • Ghana has launched National Health Insurance Scheme. • Essential Drugs List (orthodox) is in place. Users of theses drugs on the list have their treatment covered by the scheme. • Through advocacy for Herbal Medicine to be covered by the scheme, a committee has been put in place to come out with a list of Herbal Medicines which have been scientifically evaluated at the research institution and registered by the Food and Drugs Board. • When this Essential Certified Herbal Medicine List is drawn, users of these medicines who are subscribers to the scheme will also enjoy the benefit of the scheme just as users of the Orthodox medicine will enjoy.

17. TRAINING • Traditional Healers are manufacturers as well as clinicians. There is therefore the need for capacity building of healers by way of training to equip them with skills to improve upon their practice. • PROMETRA Ghana NGO with support from UNDP New York has trained some members of the Traditional Medicine Manufacturers Union in the areas of: • Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) • Standardisation and Quality Control of Herbal Medicines. • Some selected Herbal Medicine Clinicians will also be trained this year as soon as funds are available. • The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has started B.Sc. course in Herbal Medicine. The first batch of these Herbal Medicine Doctors graduated last academic year. This, I must admit is a positive development

18. CONCLUSION Togbega Dr. Dabra VIPresident / CEOPROMETRA GHANAP.O. Box WJ 153Weija, Accra, GhanaCel: +233-208150769Tel: +233-21322330e-mail: tdrdabra@yahoo.co.ukprometragh2@yahoo.co.uk THANK YOU • I wish to state that co-ordinated evaluation of the various Herbal/Medicinal Plants used by our healers in Africa can lead to safe and effective herbal antimalarials capable of solving the malaria menace in Africa and the World. • Healers, Research Scientists, Orthodox doctors need to work together in the development of our herbal medicines and in this case Herbal Anti-Malarials.