The Dialog of

AFRICAN
TRADITIONAL
MEDICINE and
WESTERN MEDICINE
PRESENTER: YAO DOE
SUPERVISOR: Sokolova A.A.
 INTRODUCTION
 Traditional African medicine is a holistic discipline
involving extensive use of indigenous herbalism
combined with aspects of African spirituality.

 An estimated 80% of Africans regularly use

traditional medicines, most of which are derived
from plant species indigenous to the region.
These may be obtained on prescription from a
traditional healer, purchased from herb sellers or
gathered in the wild for self-medication.

 Of the close to 6400 plant species used in tropical

Africa, for instance, more than 4000 are used as
medicinal plants.
SOME COMMON METHODS
OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
PREPARATION
 Hot water decoction of parts of
plants like
1. the roots
2. the leaves
3. the bark
 Cold extraction of the same parts of
the plants by using ethanol (or local
gin).
 Mechanical ways by grinding or
Medicinal plants grown in
bags for herbalists.
 OTHERS APART FROM
PLANTS
 Extracts from some animals are used
to cure certain diseases. For
example: using the feces of lizard to
cure some skin diseases. The bile of
crocodile is used for euthanasia.
Euthanasia means the act or the
practice of killing hopelessly sick or
injured individuals (as persons or
domestic animals) in a relatively
painless way for reason of mercy.
 OTHERS APART FROM
PLANTS
 Also by ritual ways (diviners), some
diseases are diagnosed and cured.
Diviners are responsible for
determining the cause of illness,
which in some causes are believed to
stem from ancestral spirits and other
influences.
 IMPORTANCE OF AFRICAN
TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
 It is the most affordable and
accessible system of health care for
the majority of the African rural
population.
 It provides employment for many of
the local herbalists.
 Indigenous African medicine is
dynamic and multi-faceted, often
incorporating the best of many
cultures in its knowledge base.
 Disadvantages
 Serious side effects, even death, can
result from incorrect identification of
healing plants.

 Convulsions and fatalities (overdose)

 Improper hygienic condition.

 PRACTITIONERS OF
TRADITIONAL AFRICAN
MEDICINE
 Practitioners: Diviners, Midwives, and
Herbalists

 Practitioners of traditional African

medicine claim to be able to cure a wide
range of conditions, including cancers,
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (
AIDS), psychiatric disorders, high blood
pressure, cholera, infertility, and most
venereal diseases. Other applications
include epilepsy, asthma, eczema, high
fever, anxiety, depression, benign
prostatic hypertrophy, urinary tract
 THINGS HINDERING
AFRICAN TRADITIONAL
MEDICINE
 There is no real pharmaceutical
industry in Africa, and no coordinated
research.
 Deforestation, and desertification
have affected supply, “so that both
quality and quantity are dropping.”
 There is no incentive for cultivating
and sustainable development.
 Selfishness, Religion and Synthetic
drugs.
 WESTERN MEDICINE AND
TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
 The mother of modern western
medicine is traditional medicine.

 Western medicines are scientifically

proved and more synthetic while
traditional medicines are more
natural and not scientifically proved.
THANKS A LOT
FOR YOUR
ATTENTION!