Abstract
There is no doubt that advances have been made and significant improvement reported
on the application of orthodox therapies in the management and treatment of various
acute and chronic diseases. However, different reports seem to show that orthodox
therapies are restricted by mechanisms of action, which tend to focus on the symptoms
of the disease instead of the main cause. On the other hand, throughout history, African
traditional medicine (ATM) using products majorly from medicinal plants have been
applied to alleviate symptoms of various diseases such as diabetes, hypertension,
infertility, parasitic, bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Globally, information in
respect of certain medicinal plants and their activities has been passed on from
generation to generation. Fortunately, scientific studies have been able to confirm some
of these claims and established the importance of medicinal plants in health care.
Although African traditional medicine has contributed significantly to health care in
Africa with over 80% of the population using African traditional medicine for their
primary health service, it is faced with some challenges in term of its regulation and
practice. Indiscriminate or non-regulated applications of various herbal medicines has
put the health of people especially in African countries at the risk of toxicity or adverse
effects or even death. It is for this reason that this paper examines the relevance of
African traditional medicine, its regulation, the challenges associated with its regulation
and the way forward.
O Oguntibeju. (2019) African traditional medicine: relevance, regulation, potential challenges and possible remedies, Asian Journal of Agriculture and Biology, Volume 7, Issue 1.
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