BACKGROUND
Jacob Sogboyega Odulate aka Blessed Jacob was a Nigerian pharmacist, inventor and entrepreneur born in 1884. He died in 1962. In 1918, he invented the legendary Alabukun powder which is now a hit in the world’s most populous nation and in other West African nations. He was originally from Ikorodu in Lagos State but later moved to the neighbouring Ogun State. He was just 14 when he left Ikorodu, he trekked for three months before reaching Abeokuta to establish himself.

MAKING THE DRUG

The making of the drug was in Abeokuta, Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria. 1918 was a year of British colonialism but in spite of all the obstacles the imperialists placed before the ‘natives’, Blessed Jacob managed to create a brand from what served as his consulting room and workshop. His modest headquarters was at the Sapon Area, not far from where he later built his famous three-storey building in Ijemo Agbadu.
Apart from making the drugs, the energetic Blessed Jacob also produced other brands like Alabukun mentholine, other preparations and an annual journal called Alabukun Almanac which was widely distributed in Abeokuta and eventually all over Nigeria between the 1920s and 1950s.
THE DRUG ITSELF

So how about Alabukun Powder itself? What does it look like to a pharmacist? If you are to check it up in a formulary, what will you see? What are its active ingredients and what makes it tick and its users addicted to it? Well, information gleaned from the packet itself and on TabletWise shows that Alabukun Powder contains acetylsalicylic acid and caffeine as its active ingredients. A packet contains 760 milligrammes of acetylsalicyclic acid and 60 milligrammes of caffeine making a total of 820 mg. Although many Nigerians use it as an over-the-counter drug primarily as a mild analgesic for headache and other simple infirmities, the application of Alabukun powder is actually more diverse than that. It is used for a host of things and these include migraine, prevention of blood clots, myocardial infarction, transluminal angioplasty, ischaemic attacks and stroke. It can also be used in the treatment, management or prevention of these conditions:
– Toothache

– Sore throat
– Neuralgias
NB: Do not use Alabukun powder for any of these conditions without recommendations from a medical doctor. It is also important to note that the following side effects can result from taking Alabukun: oedema (swelling due to fluid accumulation, asthma, vomiting, nausea and vertigo).


read more @ http://www.proudlyoruba.com/the-untold-story-of-jacob-odulate-the-blessed-jacob-the-man-who-invented-alabukun-powder-almost-100-years-ago/

Good to know

Great piece.

One day, people will write about Marada Herbal Remedy in this fashion.

Untold story indeed