Herbalists score major victory

• Plants used by traditional healers proven to fight many infections

Herbalists have scored a major victory in their quest for official recognition after scientists provided evidence that some herbal medicines can cure many diseases.

The scientists from the University of Nairobi and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology have analysed 12 medicinal plants used by traditional healers in Machakos and Kitui districts and found most to contain healing properties against common bacterial infections, including tuberculosis.

They also confirmed the widely-held belief that the amaranth (mchicha) plant has properties that protect people with HIV from various opportunistic infections.

The study carried out by nine researchers from the two universities was published in the Phytotherapy Research journal.

“In the past few decades, there have been intense pharmacological studies brought about by the recognition of the value of medicinal plants as potential sources of new compounds for managing diseases,” says the study.

The researchers say plants such as aloe, croton, catch thorn, the calling card and several others of the analysed 12 are promising candidates in the search for new cures.

However, they warn that their findings do not authorise herbalists to use the plants indiscriminately because they have to understand the correct dosage and the part of the plant to use for the best and safest results.

Citing an earlier study on the anti-bacterial properties of the croton tree which found the plant had little medicinal value, the researchers in the current study found the tree to be quite effective, a contrast they attributed to the locality of plant species, parts used, time of collection, storage and methods of analysis.

This in essence means that a neem tree, for example, found at the coast may not have similar medicinal properties with its counterpart growing elsewhere in the country. This should serve as a warning for many herbalists who are increasingly domesticating plants away from their indigenous habitats.

Analyses

Healers in the study area said they used the plants under analyses in the treatment of many diseases including malaria, typhoid, pneumonia, diabetes, kidney problems and infertility.

However, the university study only concentrated on the herbs’ capacity to treat bacterial infections and concluded that some healers’ claims are verifiable.