Varsity don identifies herbal treatment for epilepsy, mental illness ...urges Nigeria to re-examine practice of herbal medicine
AProfessor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kaduna State University (KASU), Ben A. Chindo has identified that a plant scientifically known as
could be used for the management of central nervous system (CNS) disorders.
Platyphylla, Ficus
He said the plant which is popularly known as Gamji in Hausa could also be used to manage epilepsy, depression, insomnia, psychosis, pain, inflammation and gastrointestinal disorders.
Prof Chindo made this known recently during the second inaugural lecture of KASU tagged ‘Herbal Medicines: Panaceas or agents of destruction’ noting that it is a deciduous plant found mainly in the savanna regions of the West African coast.
On whether the plant has been used to cure any epileptic patient, Prof Chindo said that the research was based on claims of traditional medicine practitioners who said that they have used the plant to cure epilepsy and psychosis, among others.
He said: "We carried out the research to validate their claims and we found it be correct based on our scientific evaluation. We carried out the research in Nigeria in collaboration with scientists in New Zealand and Germany. We were able to ascertain the safety and efficacy of the plant for treatment of epilepsy and psychosis among others.
“We evaluated the central nervous system activity of the methanol extract to provide scientific evidence supporting the use of this herbal medicine for the management of psychiatric and neurological disorders. The active ingredients of the plant were identified, isolated and clinical trials were carried out on rodents with similar central nervous system disorders like humans. The result showed that epilepsy and madness can be treated and cured when the drug is effectively administered over a period of time,” Prof Chindo added.
He however recommended that further research be conducted so that it can be formulated into dosage forms like tablets or injectibles.
Herbal medicines according to him refer to the use of plants, seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark or flowers for medicinal purposes. He described the plant kingdom as a major target in the search for new psychotropic drugs, and lead compounds for the management of central nervous system disorders.
“Herbal medicines constitute an important component of the oldest form of health care system. Archaeological evidence indicates that humans were using herbal medicines during the paleolithic era, approximately 60,000 years ago. Eighty percent of the population in developing countries use herbal medicine to treat diseases. The don also did stem cell research. “I had a one year post-doctoral training at the Otago School of Medical Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand. I was on a one year sabbatical leave at the University of the Pacific, Stockton, California, USA. In these two foreign visits, I actively participated in designing, conducting and analyzing electrophysiological properties of neurons derived from stem cells for drug development. I have provided scientific evidence for the efficacy and safety of a number of herbal medicines that are used in folk medicine.”
The expert said he gained tremendous insight into cell culture and electrophysiological techniques.
“I would like to pursue the use of these modern molecular techniques in the future to explore the properties of herbal medicines and their applications for the treatment of diseases. I will seek for functional collaborations with laboratories that utilized these modern techniques, with the goal of developing novel therapies from herbal medicines for management of disorders and diseases,” he added.
He urged Nigeria to re-examine the practice of herbal medicines as well seek strategies for its integration with conventional medicine through the development of programs to strengthen evidence based research on herbal medicines in tertiary institutions.
“Research has proven that quite a number of herbal medicines are important and effective therapeutic regimens in the management of broad spectrum of diseases, making herbal medicine panaceas for primary health care delivery but unfortunately, Nigerian government and pharmaceutical firms are not investing in the research, development and production of scientifically derived herbal medicines,” he stressed.