Traditional African medicine

Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, Apr 06, 2001 by David Helwig

Serious side effects, even death, can result from incorrect identification of healing plants. For example, species of the aloe plant are extensively used in traditional African medicine, but some forms, such as Aloe globuligemma, are toxic and can result in death if misidentified.

Convulsions and fatalities have been linked to the use of African herb concoctions known as imbiza, used for male erectile problems. Suppliers insist the problems occur only when too much of the concoction is consumed.

Although many of the principles and methods of traditional African medicine are quite foreign to orthodox medical thinking, there is nonetheless considerable interest in exploiting Africa's ethno-botanical knowledge for drug-development purposes. For example, U.S. researchers have expressed interest in using seed extracts from Garcinia kola, a common African tree used by traditional healers, to treat Ebola and Marburg disease.

The field is largely unregulated. In Africa, many traditional practitioners are simple, uneducated people who have nonetheless accumulated a great deal of knowledge about native plants and their actions on the human body. There is considerable interest in integrating traditional African medicine more fully with the continent's national medical systems. In Harare, Zimbabwe, a school of Traditional African Medicine opened its doors in October, 1999. Students include both traditional healers and university graduates.

• Kale, R. "Traditional healers in South Africa: a parallel health care system." British Medical Journal 310 (6988) (May 6 1995):1182-5.