Wallet SLC S21 Week 1 - A Comprehensive guide to Herbal Medicines
Introduction |
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From the beginning of time, there was an existence of sickness which could've been as a result of stress, harsh weather or the environment where people live. As long as there have been ailments, humans may have thought of ways to get healed from them. Looking around, the plant has been even from the beginning of man. Man had also developed the idea of using the surrounding plants to get some remedies for some of the sicknesses.
However, it won't be out of place to say that man has sought the solution to his problems using the physical things around him and, example, plants.
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The History of Traditional Medicine in My Country |
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Nigeria is a country that is blessed with arable land and green plants, forest and herbs. That's why you find the green colour on the country's flag, which represents the greenish nature of the plants in Nigeria.
From time immemorial, men like I've mentioned above have made use of plants to heal themselves from sickness. And so, people in my country have embraced traditional medicine from the beginning of time. Currently, there's no culture or ethnic group in Nigeria that is not making use of traditional medicine in the treatment of ailments from mild cases to serious and life-threatening diseases like kidney stones, stroke etc.
Examples of those who have been in the area of administration of traditional medicine in my country are traditional birth attendants and herbalists. In the Yoruba tribe, herbalists are usually known as,"babalawo" and in my tribe, the Ibibio, they are known as "abia ibok."
Compare the Benefits and the Side Effects of Common Medicine |
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Benefits
| Modern medicine | Herbal Medicine |
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| Makes use of some extracts from the plants medically refers to active ingredients | Makes use of the whole plant, which makes its healing more effective |
| It has a specific prescription based on the level of the sickness | Sometimes, it doesn't have an accurate prescription. |
| Scientifically tested and proven to heal | Not scientifically proven but has healing properties |
| Not readily available | Always available in and around our homes. |
| Gives rapid remedy to ailments but may bring back their symptoms if not taken to the accurate prescription | Maybe effective but slow to heal, but heals totally and effectively. |
Side effects
| Modern medicine | Traditional Medicine |
|---|---|
| Serious effects when wrongly used in overdose | Serious effects when wrongly used |
| Maybe expensive | Usually not expensive |
| It may cause vomiting/stooling | may not cause such effects |
| May cause drowsiness | no drowsiness |
| Has additives and preservatives | It's natural |
| Prolonged use may cause another sickness | may not cause any ailments as it has natural ingredients that may be effective for the human body. |
Herbs in the kitchen, Health Benefits and Recipes |
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Ginger: Reduces inflammation, good for cold and cough, helps in digestion and loss of voice.
Onion: Reduces cough, regulates blood sugar etc.
Scent leaves (Basil leaves): Reduces fever, helps in digestion, stops cough, relieves heartburn, eases menstrual/stomach pains etc.
Recipes |
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taking lemon grass herbal tea
For cough/digestion
Boil scent leaves and take them as tea
Boil ginger and take it as tea
Eat raw/extract the juice or cook/boil onions, add honey (optimal) and take as tea
For stomach or menstrual pain
- Scent leaves can be boiled and taken as tea.
For fever
- Scent leaves juice can be extracted and taken as drink or taken as enema processes of taking enema
Different Forms of Herbs |
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Herbs take different forms and ways, which I'll highlight a few.
Herbs can be seeds: Example, nutmeg, cashew nuts, alligator pepper etc. They can be taken as tea after boiling, chewed, grounded and taken as enema or added to food.
Roots: Example, ginger, tumeric, onion etc. They can be boiled or grounded and taken as tea, added to food, eaten raw and taken as enema.
Stems/bark of plants: It can be taken as tea after boiling/grinding, chewed, and added to food, or taken as enema.
Flowers: Example zobo (purple hibiscus). It is boiled and taken as tea or drink.
Leaves: It can be eaten raw, cooked, boiled and taken as tea, taken as enema etc.
On the other hand, herbs can be added to oils such as coconut oil, groundnut oil, castor oil etc.
Research on Ginger |
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Although ginger has many healing properties, it can cause some side effects in prolonged use and when taken in high doses.
It can cause stomach upset
It may increase the risk of having intestinal ulcers.
It may worsen intestinal ulcers, causing the patient to bleed or stool blood.
It may cause skin irritation if used on the skin.
Cause heartburn in over usage
It may bruise or cause blisters in the mouth if used for a long time.
In other words, avoid prolonged use or overuse of ginger to avoid its negative effects.
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Truly, We are blessed with herbal medicine, which has little or no side effects when taken properly. We also incorporate them in our daily cooking as species (like ginger), and they also work for us as medicine. No wonder sometimes some illness disappears on their own without visiting the hospital.
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