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New Book on Nigeria’s Healing Plants May Tickle Antidote for COVID-19

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A new book on Nigeria’s healing plants authored by Rev Father Anselm Adodo and Prof Maurice Iwu, two renowned herbal medicine scholars, who are also spearheading the search for herbal remedies for COVID-19, popularly called Coronavirus, which has killed over 60,000 persons globally, is slated to be released this Wednesday.

Titled “Healing Plants of Nigeria: Ethnomedicine and Therapeutic Applications,” the 310 page book published by Routledge, offers comprehensive information on the use of herbal medicines in West Africa and may provide recipe to tackle the deadly COVID-19 virus with cases spiking over one million across the world.
While the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research (MIMR) is currently carrying out screening of a special herbal drug for COVID-19 manufactured by Pax Herbal Centre, Ewu Edo State where Adodo holds forte as director, Iwu has written the governments of Nigeria, China, US and the UN about his new drug which can also cure the virus.
Combining an evidence-based, ethnobotanical perspective with a pharmacological and pharmaceutical approach to phytomedicine, the book bridges the gap between the study of herbal plants’ pharmacological properties and active compounds for the development of clinical drugs and community-oriented approaches, emphasising local use. It demonstrates how the framework of African traditional medicine can be preserved in a contemporary clinical context.
The book also outlines the history and beliefs surrounding the traditional use of herbs by the local population alongside their application in contemporary phytotherapy in Nigeria and West Africa. It features a critical assessment of the scientific rationale behind the use of these plants in ethnomedicine and offers a composite catalogue of phytotherapeutic and wellness agents, detailing the safety profile, efficacy, and scientific integrity of plants used to treat diseases and optimise health.
Chapter 10 of the book lists over 100 medicinal plants that have been scientifically evaluated for their antiviral activities. Some of the plants include. Kigella Sativa – Black Seed, The Bitter Melon Momordica Charantia- Black Seed, Garcinia Kola- Bitter Kola, Kigelia Africana – The Sausage Tree and Terminalia Sericea.
The major features of the book include:
An ethnobotanical survey containing over 200 full-colour photographs of Nigerian and West African plants.
A unique combination of ethnobotany and pharmacognosy, bridging the divide between pharmaceutical and community-oriented approaches to herbal medicine research.
Contextual discussion of the therapeutic potential of Nigerian herbal medicine.
Offers a template which can be used to separate the superstitious aspects of ethnomedicine from culturally inherited deposits of knowledge.
A handbook for herbal and natural medicine practitioners, the book is aimed at African thinkers, scientists, healthcare providers and students of pharmacology and ethnomedicine.
The contents consist of 14 chapters, divided into two major parts, with part one focusing on
* The Practice of Medicine in Africa
* Medicine, Culture and Health Belief Systems
* Trees
* Shrubs
* Forbs and
* Grasses
Part Two deals with Application of Medicinal Plants for Specific Diseases
* Medicinal Plants for Malaria and Parasitic Infections
* Nigerian Plants with Application in the Treatment of
High Blood Pressure
Nigerian Healing Plants Used for Metabolic Syndrome,
Obesity, and Diabetes
Phytotherapy of HIV-AIDS and Opportunistic Infections
with Nigerian Plants
* Application of Nigerian Plants in Cancer Treatment
* Control of Oxidative Stress and Chronic Inflammation
with Nigerian Plants
Skin Care, Dental, Oral Care and Cosmeceuticals from
Nigerian Plants and
Nigerian Healing Plants in Global Trade.
New Book on Nigeria’s Healing Plants May Tickle Antidote for COVID-19 – Nigerian Democratic Report
For a better society

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