scholarly journals Traditional African Medicine

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Motamarri V.N.L. Chaitanya ◽  
Hailemikael Gebremariam Baye ◽  
Heyam Saad Ali ◽  
Firehiwot Belayneh Usamo
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Holistic Health ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Bridelia Ferruginea ◽  
Amaranthus Spinosus ◽  
African Traditional Medicine ◽  
Healing Services

African traditional medicine is defined as one of the holistic health care system comprised of three levels of specializations namely divination, spiritualism, and herbalism. The traditional healer provides healing services based on culture, religious background, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs that are prevalent in his community. Hence the current chapter focuses on the different types of african healing system, traditional healers, traditional practices and modern herbalism and also describes the phytochemical and pharmacological evidences of the traditional african herbs like Acanthus montanus (Acanthaceae), Amaranthus spinosus (Amaranthaceae), Bridelia ferruginea (Euphorbiaceae) etc.

scholarly journals PLANTS USED BY AFRICAN TRADITIONAL HEALERS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ORAL DISEASES: A REVIEW

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 273-286
Author(s):  
Ashu Michael Agbor ◽  
Sudeshni Naidoo
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Oral Health Care ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Oral Diseases ◽  
African Traditional Medicine ◽  
Reduction Of Mortality ◽  
Surgical Aspects

Background: Plants form the basis of African traditional medicine which has contributed to significantly to the reduction of mortality, morbidity and disability due to many diseases. Medicinal plants have been reported to be an essential aspect oral health delivery cutting across all facets of oral health care. Method: Publications and reports on the use of African traditional medicine in oral health care were reviewed from published scientific journals, books, reports from national, regional and international organizations, research theses, conference papers and other grey material. International online databases such as MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus and Google were also searched up to 2015. Publications were limited to the English and French language Results: This review identified medicinal plant use by traditional healers in preventive, therapeutic and surgical aspects in the oral health and also identified some research gaps which further studies should be carried out. Conclusion: Medicinal plants has enormous benefits in the management of oral diseases but faces some challenges like toxicity, processing and follow-ups. Research on medicinal plants use in African traditional medicine in oral health is still scanty and most often incomplete.

‘That is how the real mad people behave’: Beliefs about and treatment of mental disorders by traditional medicine-men in Accra, Ghana

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily Kpobi ◽  
Leslie Swartz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Causal Beliefs ◽  
Treatment Methods ◽  
Medicine Men

Background: Traditional healing methods are considered central to mental health care in low-income countries such as Ghana, because they are perceived to be more easily accessible, more affordable and generally ascribe similar causal beliefs to those of the patients. However, not much is known about the work of traditional healers largely because their methods are shrouded in mysticism and secrecy. There is a need to understand the ideology and beliefs of traditional healers surrounding mental disorders, including knowledge about their practices in mental health care. Aims: In this article, we discuss the causal beliefs and treatment methods of traditional medicine-men from Accra, Ghana. We also describe their diagnostic and treatment methods for mental disorders. Methods: Eight medicine-men, indigenous to the Greater Accra Region, were interviewed through individual semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed through thematic analysis. Results: The medicine-men’s beliefs about mental illness were dominated by supernatural ideas. Mental illness was also seen as a form of punishment or resulting from envy, and there was a strong reliance on spiritual direction from the gods for diagnosis and treatment. Conclusion: These themes are discussed with emphasis on their potential implications for patients, as well as for collaborative efforts.

scholarly journals A Study on Users Perception Towards Ayurvedic Medicine with Special Reference to Kanniyakumari District

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
W Sunitha
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Special Reference ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Ayurvedic Medicine ◽  
Primary Health Care System ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Care System

The present study deals with A Study on Users’ Perception of Ayurvedic Medicine. This topic helps us to know the knowledge, merits, and demerits of using Ayurvedic medicine. This study focuses on the opinion of the betterment of Ayurvedic medicine among people. Ayurvedic medicine is the traditional medicine used in the early days. In earlier days, ancient men used this medicine to cure various diseases. Ayurveda is derived from two Sanskrit root words: Ayu, which means Life, and Veda, which means Knowledge. Thus it would be safe to call Ayurveda as the ‘Science of life’ more than a mere system of treating an illness. Ayurveda is a holistic Indian system of medicine that uses a constitutional model. It works to prove flexible guidance to attain a state of positive health. Ayurvedic medicine is India’s primary health care system. Ayurvedic medicine is considered to be the world’s older health care system.

scholarly journals Review on Tanduliyaka (Amaranthus spinosus L) - A Weed, A Vegetable and A Medicinal Plant

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 231-238
Author(s):  
Karnam Chandrashekhar
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
The Other ◽  
Amaranthus Spinosus ◽  
Therapeutic Uses ◽  
Care System

Weed is an unwanted plant growing on a cultivating land. Surprisingly, sometimes, certain weed turns out to be a great source of food or medicine. Nature has been so generous in providing a lot of useful things to humans. The great sages of Ayurveda have never let down any plant. They always tried to appreciate the usefulness of a plant in one or the other way. But, there are some instances where few therapeutic uses of certain plants were not documented in the literature of Ayurveda for unknown reasons. Ethno-botanical uses of such plants, if collected and studied, in addition to Ayurveda, will certainly make wonders in health care system. This review directs towards   an underutilized, less explained, perhaps not significantly appreciated and categorically unspoken plant called Tanduliyaka (Amaranthus spinosus Linn) which has been used by many folklore and ethnic groups of India. This study reveals 45 synonyms of plant along with some notable ethno-botanical uses and its validated activities proving itself as the plant of much interest .  

scholarly journals The use of traditional medicine by caregivers for children under the age of five years as health seeking behaviour

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Shanitha Pillay
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Conventional Medicine ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Sick Children

Child health has always been a global priority for decades; however, despite efforts to reduce the child mortality statistics, 5.9 million children under the age of five years have deceased in 2015. IMCI guidelines are used to assess, classify and treat sick children under the age of five years, however, despite the prevalent use of traditional medicine for this age group of children, the guidelines excludes the use of traditional medicine, hence the tendency exists to ignore such questions being asked. It is this gap in the history taking pertaining to sick children seeking health care at clinics that the researcher has identified, therefore, this study is intended to highlight the use of traditional medicine in children under the age of five years. The researcher’s methodology is a quantitative descriptive study by means of a self- developed structured questionnaire which was handed out to 183 caregivers attending a Gateway Clinic and 324 caregivers at Paediatric Out – Patient Department. The total sample size was 507 caregivers of children under the age of five years. Data was analysed using SPSS version 17. The data derived from this study indicated that although most caregivers would take their sick children to the clinic for first line treatment, there are a significant number who would rather use home remedies or seek care from traditional healers. The study reveals that 28.5% of caregivers were found to be administering traditional medicine with conventional medicine and 17.4% would do so concurrently. Evidence also revealed that 75.7% of the caregivers would disclose the use of traditional medicine for their children only if nurses enquired about it. Recommendations arising from the study findings are that the IMCI guidelines should incorporate a classification chart for use by health care professionals in order to identify children who were treated by traditional medicine preferably as “RED” - requiring urgent attention and possible admission to hospital, in view of the potential threat to life. Since the IMCI guidelines are also a teaching tool in nursing curricula, the assessment of sick children using traditional medicine will be incorporated into the formal teaching of nurses. Key words used were Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses, effects and use of traditional medicine on children.

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