HERBAL MEDICINE

HERBAL MEDICINE STILL CURVE A NICHE

By Mark Mutai

Herbal medics still curve a niche in the 21st century despite medical
technological growth and trends experienced across the world.

Long practiced, herbals are becoming more relevant as up-to-date
analysis and research confirm their value in treatment and prevention of
diseases. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that
80 p.c of people worldwide rely on herbal medicines for some aspect of
their primary healthcare.

Mzee Timothy Yebei of Kebeneti village in Kericho District who is in his late 80s says that in traditional times, almost all ailments had a cure. “Whether snakes bite, cut injuries, stomach ailments, bareness, persistent headaches among other diseases were treated by med icemen,” recollects Mzee Yebei. He says that traditional medicine men had testing instincts leading to preferable medications.

He adds that as a medicine man approached old age, he passed the tools of trade to his children and other relatives who seemed keen on medication. This he says ensured that traditional medicine never went out of touch with society. “But things have now changed”, he notes.

William Busienei a Nakuru-based Herbal practitioner has been
practicing traditional medicine for the last 30 years. With his family background known for herbal treatment, Busienei inherited his father who was a famous medicine man among the Kipsigis community in the 1960s.

“My herbal journey began in early 1960s when I was a young boy. I
usually accompanied my father to the forest to collect medicinal herbs,” remembers Busienei.He says they harvested the herbs from natural regions like; The Mau, Mt. Elgon, Transmara and Kakamega forests.

As he takes us through the herbal processing unit at his clinic situated in Kaptembwa estate in the West of Nakuru town, the herbalist asserts that processing and packaging of the medication is a specialization in itself separate from having knowledge of medicinal herbs. “One can be good at identifying the herbs from the forest and other natural sites but may be poor in administering the medicine into functional medication,” warns Busienei.

He states that tree backs, leaves, seeds, berries, roots, stems and flowers of
particular herbal plants can either be dried and crushed into powder
form, boiled to produce juicy substances or several substances mixed up to come up with a particular medicine, adding that the herbal medication process is diverse and complex.

“Desired therapeutic effect in the herbs is achieved when whole part
of the plant is used. It also cuts down on side effects and toxicity
of the herbs,” He says.

According to the indigenous med iceman, herbal medication has been successful in the
treatment of complicated infections in human beings like; asthma, premenstrual syndrome, chronic fatigue, and irritable
bowel syndrome.

Busiemei decries the massive destruction of natural forests like the Mau complex as a threat to the practice of traditional medication. He further notes that besides the
extinction of medicinal plants in the country, climatic and
environmental changes will have lasting effects on the local traditional medicine practice.

To curb losses and scarcity of some of his favorite medicinal plants, Busienei has
planted some of the herbs in his backyard garden. He has no kind words for
political leaders who have always sought wealth but forget issues concerning the preservation of natural resources and environment.

He scooped an award during an environmental preservation campaign dubbed “Clean-up the World” organized by the United Nations Environmental Progaramme (UNEP) in Nakuru recently and says he will continue participating in environmental and natural resources conservation initiatives.

Busienei receives patients drawn from the lager Rift Valley,
Central Province, Nyanza and Coast parts of Kenya.I the 2003, he cured a four-year old child suffering from cardiac arrest that is a kind of tumor.

Stella Wanjiru from Sagana had called for help through the Standard
Newspaper. Though scheduled to fly to India for an operation, she ended up in
Busienei’s hands.

The herbalist who travels to many parts of the country selling his herbal medication and ideas calls on the government to organize workshops and seminars where herbalists can exchange ideas and also market themselves locally and internationally.

Busienei says he has personally taken up this idea by involving local herbalists and medical professionals in carrying out research to keep up with overwhelming ailments in the country like kidney failure, thyroids, urinal ailments, and the deadly HIV & Aids.He said he has in particular been in constant consultation with the University of Nairobi Health Science Department.

The conservation of the African indigenous plants is taking shape
as environmentalists in higher learning institutions as well as both
government and non-governmental bodies seek ways of preserving
indigenous flora and fauna. Including botanical gardens and arboretums where indigenous plans are conserved, nature lovers have vowed to stump out extinction of
traditional environment.

Despite the vast challenges edging local herbal medicine practitioners out of market, they
have grouped themselves in attempts to press for their legal rights including intellectual rights and patents.

Attempts to push a bill in the August house in the recent years hit a
snag as legislators never bothered about the concerns of traditional med icemen.

Formalities in legalizing herbalists to practice as well as patent rights have
been a drawback due to lack of constitutional frameworks.