By Girmachew Gashaw
Traditional medicine (TM) refers to the knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, used in the maintenance of health and in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness. It has been used in some communities for thousands of years.
As traditional medicine practices are adopted by new populations there are challenges. But the practices have been adopted in different cultures and regions without the parallel advance of international standards and methods for evaluation.
Not many countries have national policies for traditional medicine. Regulating traditional medicine products, practices and practitioners is difficult due to variations in definitions and categorizations of traditional medicine therapies.
Herbal materials for products are collected from wild plant populations and cultivated medicinal plants. The expanding herbal product market could drive over-harvesting of plants and threaten biodiversity. Poorly managed collection and cultivation practices could lead to the extinction of endangered plant species and the destruction of natural resources. Efforts to preserve both plant populations and knowledge on how to use them for medicinal purposes is needed to sustain traditional medicine.
In Ethiopia, though there is high knowledge and expertise of herbal medicine, still the potential areas are not yet exploited, studied and allocated for the benefit of the public. But nowadays, there is a trial in some government universities. It is obvious that the government has authorized various universities to conduct problem solving researches and studies. Accordingly, the universities are trying to contribute their share and solve various problems of the society in their respective areas.
Debere Birhan, a town about 130 kilometers to the north east of the capital and established before 600 years, did not have a university until recently. It was just six years ago that Debre Birhan University was established. According to the University’s Research and Study core Process owner, Azemeraw Ayenew, before the university started its engagement with community services, it has identified six thematic areas, of which the first and foremost is conserving biodiversity, Eco -tourism and protecting natural resources.
North Showa Zone is said to have huge biodiversity potential, diversified culture and ecosystem that has not been properly exploited. For instance, no research has been yet conducted on existing natural resource potential and its possible sustainable benefit to the public. Hence, the university has planned to conduct research and studies and to conserve and transfer it to the next generation.
With in a short distance from the town, around the area known as Ankober , there are enormous indigenous plant species. Until recently, traditional healers are the only beneficiaries of these plants. Though traditional healers have their own skills on how to prepare a certain medicine, they have no idea of deciding its dosage. Due to this, some people who utilize traditional medicines face severe health challenges that might even sometimes lead them to death. As a result, the number of people who rush to traditional healers is declining. As traditional medicines and skills related to their preparation are transferred verbally and secretly from generation to generation, until now, it is difficult to conduct documentation and registration . Therefore, the public have not economically benefited from its resources. Sadly, many of the species in the area are in a worrying state.
To abate the problem, the university has signed memorandum of understanding /MOU/ to work with Ankober Woreda Administration, Ankober Worreda Development Association (AWDA), Integrated People’s Opportunity (IPO), Italian based organization to conserve biodiversity in a better and sustainable way to make benefit the society.
To begin the task, the university lately prepared a short term training on the method of improving traditional medicine to modern one. The training was offered by professionals from Switzerland and Italy, dubbed to have better knowledge and expertise in the area. University staff from natural science, agriculture, and medicine departments attended the comprehensive training and grasped the knowledge and skills on how to apply it practically on the ground. ”We have gained important knowledge, and expertise from these professionals,” he said.
Accordingly, based on the knowledge gained from the training, staff members have been synthesizing chemistry of medicines. But the university have no intention to provide them for usage as the production process should follow international scientific procedures. So, the university has identified steps to follow.
Right after it has completed the knowledge transfer, the university professionals engage on preliminarily stage of drug production known as medical plant identification. And the project is ratified by the university senate. In this stage, medicinal plants which are found in Ankober area are studied and identified. Before the identification process has been undertaken, the university wrote a letter to Ankober Woreda Administration to seek cooperation. “In this case, the first challenge we have faced is difficultly to gain knowledge about medicinal plants. Unless traditional healers are willing to share their knowledge to university, the task would be stopped before started.”
To get the knowledge from traditional healers—- the university researchers followed various approaches to convince and lobby them.. With the help of government officials who work in the area, the university professionals tried to raise awareness of the public towards the purpose of the project. And finally the view towards showed slight changes as the society gradually became convinced that the primary purpose is benefiting the public through developing traditional medicines.
However, the willingness of traditional healers to transfer their knowledge to university professionals is still in question. To resolve these and other problems, the university has designed different approaches. For instance, they lobbied traditional medicine healers using local pressure groups and easily convinced them to undertake medicinal plant identification process.
Then, the university took roots of these plants to its nursery site to replicate and adapt them with University’s Seedling Center, found at Ankober . In so doing, it has conserved endangered plant species and improve the ecosystem, bio diversity of the surrounding area for sustainable benefit of the society. Later on, the university has ratified its first project proposal and has worked on it. After the identification process, the next stage is extraction.
In the extraction process, traditional medicinal plants are extracted. Various creams and plant oils are extracted from Chamomilla, Eucalyptus tree. Besides, the university has made ORS (Oral re-hydration salt), produced a cream that cures from fungus infection, also created a solute that can avoid toilet bad smells. Until now, the extraction process has been continuing. The university senate has also ratified a project proposal focused on extraction of traditional medicine. Last year, project proposals worth over 220,000 birr were ratified and are on practice.
Next to the extraction process, there is the characterization stage. In this stage, the researchers try to know about contents of the extracted plants. This process can assist professionals to abate the problems related with dosage. In the production process of certain medicines, it is essential to do complete characterization tasks.
The next step is commercialization. at each process, there is a training. Capacity building training is given for surrounding, Zone and Woreda agriculture professionals. ”We invited the concerned medical professionals to do this. We remain much to do in commercialization stage. When we apply commercialization, the university is not engaged ordinary commerce”, he said.
“The focus of the university is on tasks which add value. The university is not working the job of a supermarket. If there is no loophole in the area, the university has no intention to engage in that business. Unless there is a shortage and loophole here around. For example, if there is no dental service in the zone, we tried to open it. But, we do not share the task of a merchant.
When the upgrading process reaches the commercialization step, the university did not have a plan to sell medicines but we assumed to offer a training to the people who live in the area. Plant oil is highly demanded by various firms found in Addis. It has made partial market need assessment researches in small and micro level institution found at Addis Ababa, Azemeraw said.
Now, it intends to do the task again in an organized manner. The seedling center is used as an input for them. it is also a center an input for biodiversity. It is also giving a lesson on how to extract it. They provide it for local consumers. It is assisting people engaged in the area to do the task based on knowledge and research.
”We think that it is effective task. As a new university we are building a new working environment. We are trying to follow a strategy to benefit the public from the task done,” he said.
To cascade the task downward to community, it is essential to prepare a framework. The already identified and characterized tasks should be transferred to commercialization stage. Until now, the university has made available no medicine to the market. Because, it needs a license from the concerned authorities. This writer appreciate relentless effort of the university in modernizing traditional medicine via convincing traditional healers, improving ecosystem,and undertaking biodiversity conservation tasks. But, the university should also protect the process from possible bribe until it gets patent right.