Abolaji Adebayo
A traditional herbal medicine doctor, Baba Jalala Awedewerisa, the managing Director of Baba Jalala Tradomedical Center, has frown at the low rate at which the local herbal medicine is embraced and explored for national development both healthwise and revenu generation due to lack of require technology, proper coordination and support from the government.
He said despite the huge potential inherent in the local herbal medicine to cure all kinds of illness and also generate foreign exchange for the country, people are not patronising the products adequately.
Speaking to Authentic Platform News Nigeria at the ongoing Traditional Herbal Exhibition at the Bond FM in Lagos, a leader native Doctor, Awedewerisa said Nigerian Herbal medicine could heal all kind of illness and diseases if well harnessed. He said most Nigerians especially the politicians and the rich only waste money to seek treatment abroad which they consequently get back here in Nigeria.
Awedewerisa,who specialises in treat diseases causing barrenes in both women and men said there is no kind of barreness that could not be treated with local herbal medicine.
According to him, there are some causes which are spiritual that can only be tackled with herbs.
He said for instance, if a woman urinates on ground and skink (a specie of reptile) crawls over it, such a woman would be barren.
He said no orthodox medicine could heal such barreness except the only local herbal doctors who know what and how to treat such.
He also disclosed that other countries make revenue from herbs and roots. He explained that there were some roots and herbs used in producing the medicine, which had to be sourced from other countries and such countries would collect duties on those materials before they could be imported to Nigeria.
However, Awedewerisa did not dispute the fact that some of those who parade themselves as traditional herbal doctors are quack doctors without proper medical training.
He said apart from inheriting the profession, there is need for  getting the training in school for more expertise in the profession.
He also lamented that the government has to coordinate the practitioners of herbal medicines to fix the sector and enhance it for national development.
On the exhibition, he said it is an avenue to promote the tradition herbal medicine and opportunity for the people to meet the doctors they may not have easy access to.
