Mr. Cosmas Attamah, an Enugu-based Traditional Medicine Practitioner, has urged his colleagues to embark on extensive research into roots and herbs that offered optimal benefits in healthcare.

Attamah, who made the appeal at a herbal exhibition in Enugu on Friday, said the time had come for Africans to look inwards to utilise traditional medicine.

He said that traditional medicine could be developed for export to other countries like the Chinese and the Indians do.

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According to him, his recent visit to China has made me understand that Nigerians need to step up the action with regards to research into local leaves and roots.  Asian countries, especially China, have gone quite far in traditional medicine development.

“It is becoming clearer that traditional medicine should be explored in order to maximise the benefits accruable to the country in care programmes.

“Already, some state governments have created traditional medicine boards to sanitise the system and to get rid of quacks.’’

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Attamah, also the Chairman, Enugu State National Association of Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP), called on Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to come to its aid in developing the state’s hospitals.

He also appealed for the establishment of a traditional medicine board as had been done in some other states.

Gov. Ugwuanyi, who was represented at the occasion by the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Cecelia Ezeilo, promised the organisation that a traditional medicine board would be created to prevent quacks in the practice.

vanguard