If given the institutional support, Iwu and others like him may be able to produce a real Nigerian treatment (trt)for Ebola

No doubt, Prof Maurice Iwu could arguably be described as the most accomplished biomedical scientist living in, and operating from, Nigeria. If we overlook his failed foray into politics, we cannot help but appreciate how far he has come in the area that he has his greatest strength: ethno-pharmacy.
Working with national and international colleagues, he has co-authored well over 60 research papers in international journals, some as recent as 2012 on the potential use of indigenous plants in medicine and pharmacy. All of this he has accomplished from his operational base at Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.

I made a little bit of online research and was quite impressed with his intellectual record. If you have access (you may be required to register for this, especially with Web of Science) to PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) or Web of Science ( http://apps.webofknowledge.com.dist.lib.usu.edu/summary.do?product=WOS&parentProduct=WOS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&parentQid=&qid=7&SID=2EKvMnYUB7D2SQ3UtHB&&page=1),

just type ''Iwu M'' on the space bar and you will see and perhaps be able to read some of his peer-reviewed research articles. Many are published in relatively high impact journals. So whether you believe it or not, the man is scientifically accomplished.

Now, reading through some posts made by folks in a Facebook argument, one particular comment caught my attention which I would like to reproduce below. Please pay more attention from the second paragraph

A lot is known about the medicinal potency of many native plants, including bitter kola. In Nigeria, Iwu is a big player in this endeavor. Iwu is, no doubt, an accomplished scientist even by considerable international standards. He has published numerous papers in the area of ethno-pharmacy. But he is not alone in this endeavor. He has Nigerian and international colleagues who have researched and co-published with him. Below I provide you with a few names of his past and present colleagues from Nigeria: Christopher Okunji, Godson Onunkwo, Anele Ngozi, Osonwa Uduma, Akpa Paul, K. Chah, Michel Tchimene, P., Akubue, Ononiwu I.

That being said, the problem I have is the fact that these laudable research studies have not gone beyond discovery and preliminary testing in microbes and mouse in some cases. Why is Nigeria not taking these things to the next level? Has Iwu (as a leader in this area) and his group asked for research funding from the government of Nigeria to conduct the needed research? If so, were they denied funding, and why? Has he tested these plant extracts in model ''human-like'' organisms such as monkeys? Following that, has he collaborated with actually doctors to conduct clinical tests in humans? If so, what are the results? Following that, did he discuss with pharmaceutical companies to produce drugs from these plants?

In this 2014, we cannot continue with subsistence medicine (such as suggesting that people should chew raw bitter cola to boost their immune system and thereby preventing infection or something like that) when we can research, discover, identify active ingredients, isolate them, test their potency in pure form in model organisms, conduct clinical trials, and then formulate drugs that are well labeled with doses and other clinical information.

You will come down with some toxicity issues or even die, if you continue to take bitter kola in an unregulated manner because you do not have any idea of what dose you need for a preventive measure, let alone a curative one.

I agree 100% with the above quoted material, and I was quite disappointed reading that Iwu went on TV saying that you can be chewing bitter kola to boost your immunity against future diseases. Beyond chewing raw herbs, nuts, and fruits for medicinal purpose, my own question is, why is the Nigerian government incapable of funding translational research? Or is the government actually doing so, but our scientists such as Iwu are simply incapable of translating their basic research, where they have any, into applied stuff that can contribute more to the well being of Nigerians? Knowing what we know about the antimicrobial properties of many plants in Nigeria, why do we not have pharmaceutically manufactured drugs from these plants that can be used to cure certain diseases, possibly even Ebola? When this current Ebola outbreak is gone, is Nigeria simply going to continue with business as usual or it will start funding more research on these native plants and their potential to be transformed into real medicines?

Below are partial screenshoots of the first pages of the 2 websites where I searched for Iwu's name.

space booked in case this makes fp

This vaccine you are talking about,has he ever had laboratory work done on a specimen of Ebola?
What were his test subject;rats,monkeys,dogs ,pigs etc
You cannot just bring a drug out and call it a vaccine unless you are a trado.
Even the trado test their herbs on themselves and their family .
Commonsense
The best way to prove this vaccine or medicine works ,
Iwu should be injected with Ebola and then let us test its efficacy if it is a medicine or

If it is a vaccine ,he should use his vaccine on himself and then get a dose of Ebola .

N:B no need for imported Ebola ,we get the Nigerian version.

oduastates: This vaccine you are talking about,has he ever had laboratory work done on a specimen of Ebola?
What were his test subject;rats,monkeys,dogs ,pigs etc
You cannot just bring a drug out and call it a vaccine unless you are a trado.
Even the trado test their herbs on themselves and their family .
Commonsense
The best way to prove this vaccine or medicine works ,
Iwu should be injected with Ebola and then let us test its efficacy if it is a medicine or

If it is a vaccine ,he should use his vaccine on himself and then get a dose of Ebola .

N:B no need for imported Ebola ,we get the Nigerian version.

Where did you read me talk about any specific vaccine? Read the opening thread very well. Surely more needs to be done, but Iwu would not be doing research with his own personal resources. As obtained in other countries, government needs to fund translational research and connect Iwu and others like him to other players such as doctors (for clinical tests) and pharmaceutical companies (for drug manufacturing). It is not even about Ebola only, as there are numerous other diseases that our indigenous plants can tackle.

oduastates:
Even the trado test their herbs on themselves and their family .
.

And what did they infect themselves with before the test? Dude, you still live in the stone age. Wake up to the 21st Century.