SLC S21 Week 1 - A Comprehensive guide to Herbal Medicines

Steem greetings all the way from the motherland-Cameroon where traditional medicine is highly consumed especially by locals. To further share my ideas about traditional medicine, I will follow the guiding questions as seen below👇.

History of herbal medicine in your culture or region.

Herbal medicine was highly used in the Bamenda grass field region of Cameroon during the pre-colonial era. Our forefathers depended highly on herbal medicine because during that era there were no modern hospitals.

Our forefathers because they were nomads, they moved across the grass field and faced different seasonal patterns with different illnesses.

They become their own doctors because there were no hospitals at the time to cure them. They depended on herbal medicines to cure them of their illnesses.

Till date, we have grown up and inherited the herbal medicines that were practised by our forefathers. Herbal medicine has helped many families to heal from certain prevalent diseases and has contributed greatly to the welfare of netizens of the grass field region of Cameroon.

Today, it is very common to move around seeing herbalists on the streets educating the population on common herbs to use daily to prevent certain diseases.

Create a table comparing the benefits and side effects of modern medicines vs. herbal medicines for common ailments (e.g., cold, headache).

The table below presents the benefits and side effects of herbal medicine and modern medicine.

Herbal Medicine	Modern Medicine
It is made up of natural ingredients	It contains artificial ingredients
Herbal medicine has little or no side effects	Has lots of side effects on the body
It helps to boost our immune system and acts as an antiviral to many diseases	Modern medicine rather does not boost immune system but focuses on treating particular disease
It is less toxic to the system	Modern medicine is highly toxic to the system.
Herbal medicine is less costly and can be affordable by all within the society	Highly costly and not affordable by all within the society
Its reaction in the body is slow but with constant usage it works well	Fast reaction, especially in emergency cases
Herbal medicine targets uprooting ailments from the base	Modern medicine targets treating the symptoms

Choose 3 herbs from your kitchen like mint, ginger, or turmeric and list their health benefits. Mention the recipes where you have used these herbs.

There are several herbs I used daily in my kitchen but I will name three I commonly used and the recipes I have used these herbs.

Garlics.

It has antiviral properties that help to fight bacteria, and some parasites. It also helps to boost our immune system. I often used garlic in recipes such as tomato sauce, fried rice, pepper soup yam, etc.

Water Leaf.

It contains high level of calcium and phosphorus tht are good for strengthening our bones. It has antioxidant properties such as vitamin C and beta-carotene which helps to protect our cells from chronic diseases. I used waterleaf in recipes such as eru, a Cameroonian delicacy vegetable soup.

Basil.

It is good in relieving stress and helps to regulate blood sugar level in the body because it helps to stimulate the production of insulin in the pancreas. I used basil in recipes such as tomatoe sauce, fried rice, etc.

Different forms of the herbs.

There are different forms of herbs as seen below:

• Teas/Infusions: It is created by submerging herbs into hot water to extract the soluble compounds from the herbs and are effective for use.
• Tinctures: It is created by dipping the herbs into alcohol to extract their concentrated liquids. It is effective and convenient to use with a few therapeutic doses.
• Powders: it is created by drying your herbs and grind into powder form. You can use the powdered herbs to garnish dishes or prepare smoothies. Common powder herbs in Cameroon are moringa and ginseng.
• Oils: This is done by putting herbs into oil. The oil then absorbs the soluble compounds from the herbs. An example of herbal oils are coconut oil and garlic powder. The oilmemt is used for skincare.

Pick one herb and research any potential side effects and how to avoid them.

Below I will talk about the possible side effects of garlic and how to avoid them.

Possible Side Effects	How to Avoid them
Can cause diarrhoea of consumed on an empty stomach	Consume after meal
Can cause heartburn because it has some chemicals that can lead to gastroesophageal disease	Avoid eating raw garlic without consuming food.
Can cause dizziness when consumed too much as it lowers your blood pressure thereby causing certain illnesses	Consult your herbalist to know the right dose
It is not good to be consumed by pregnant and breastfeeding mothers as it changes the flavour of the milk and causes labor	Avoid consuming garlic during pregnancy and breastfeeding time
Allergies like skin rash and difficulty in breathing are common when your body reacts negatively when consuming garlic	Take smaller doses to avoid allergy reaction

In sum, herbal medicine history in Cameroom especially within the context of the grassfield started during the pre-colonial era. Its natural components are good for our health and has less side effects as compared to modern medicine.

I will invite @rafk, @ruthjoe, and @pelon53 to share with us their thoughts about the topic "Beverages".