Panel probes herbal cure claims for Ebola virus, others
Thursday, 07 August 2014• Scientists identify antiviral plants
• Why bitter kola can stop disease
A Scientific Committee on Verification of Herbal Cure Claims set up last year by the National Agency for Food, Drug and Control (NAFDAC) has begun probe of herbal cure claims for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). CHUKWUMA MUANYA writes.
THERE is no cure for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), says the World Health Organisation (WHO). But local studies by Nigerian scientists and several foreign researches indicate that plants or rather herbal medicine hold the hope for a globally accepted cure for EVB.
Indeed, researchers have identified asthma herb (Euphorbia hirta), pawpaw (Carica papaya), neem tree (Azadiratcha indica), lemon grass (Cymbopogum citratus), bitter melon (Momordica charantia) and guava (Psidium guajava) extracts as potential cures for viral infections.
In fact a member of the committee inaugurated by the Director General of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, to champion the development of herbal medicine through scientific validation of all the cure claims, Dr. Ben Amodu, says he has the cure for EVD.
Amodu, a pharmacist, and his team of researchers from Halamin Herbal centre, 10 George Innih Crescent, Apo District, Abuja and Department of Histopathology and Cytology, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) Jos, Plateau State, found that the poly herbal preparations strengthen the immune system through many cytokines and chemokines regulations.
The pharmacist said his team is a step closer to a universally accepted cure for Ebola virus, dengue fever and leishmaniasis and that the herbal preparation has also been successfully used, in clinical studies, to treat hepatitis B and C, cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis.
Amodu told The Guardian yesterday: “Base on the fact that our products have been peer reviewed for denque fever and other similar viral fever and published and currently the combination of our products SAABMAL, DAABS 2 & SAAAB are currently undergoing peer review for EVD for publications. Our products have lots of positive effects on Ebola virus.”
NAFDAC DG also confirmed to The Guardian yesterday that Amodu has samples of hispoly herbal preparations for the treatment of EVD to the Scientific Committee on Verification of Herbal Cure Claims.
Also, the executive director of the Bio-resources Development and Conservation Programme, Prof. Maurice Iwu, has given reasons why bitter kola (Garcinia kola) can stop EVD. Iwu, a professor of Pharmacognosy from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) said that an extract derived from the seeds of bitter kola could inhibit Ebola virus in cell culture at non-toxic concentrations.
http://ngrguardiannews.com/sunday-magazine/living-wellbeing/173979-panel-probes-herbal-cure-claims-for-ebola-virus-others

Lwkm... They aint arresting them again Eleyi gidi gan o

Don't panic my people

Hahahahahahahahaha!

Nigeria!.

Make e bi true o o o.

If not,we go us cane,flog them,soteee them Sambisa forest.LWKMD!

Abeg,make i eat my shawama.Any chick around?.come join me,but nobi Ngeneukwenu.that he-she.tufiakwa

Lwkmd

This is a good step in the right direct. WE NEED RESEARCH FOR THESE THINGS.

Independent scientists should be invited to corroborate or dispel these claims. Many of the drugs in use today come from plants anyways, so no real surprises here. But until they are tested for potency and potential side effects by external peers, it's still a long thing.

My pple i tink is tyme 2 pay attention 2 mr. Maurice Iwu concerning his bita kola of a tin and act on it.

lol

OK. We await the outcome.. Nothing dey impossibia..

Very nice, it's high time we start considering the claims of our indigenous herbalists and pharmacists.

nice move in d right direction i must say,

they should also pay attention to ifa priests nd babalawos...native doctors not excluded...

they all can be of help....no knowledge is wasted