Varsity to collaborate with traditional doctors to refine trado-herbal practices in Nigeria

Orji Obinna Charles, Calabar

A private university known as Arthur Jarvis University has vowed to collaborate with traditional doctors to refine all known traditional herbal practices in Nigeria and beyond.

They said they will collaborate with traditional medicine practitioners and similar experts to make trado-medicine much more affordable and acceptable.

Chancellor of Arthur Jarvis University, Arthur Archibong, said the National University Commission has already authorized what they called Complimentary and Alternative Medicine among courses for faculty of Allied Medical Sciences.

He said they will train students on how to integrate traditional medicine into National Health Care system.

Jarvis said the decision to establish and launch the trado medical centre is a result of three years of consistent research into traditional medicine.

“We shall deeply delve into researching all African herbal practices with a view to refining them for wider consumption. We will collaborate with traditional herbal experts. Already before delving to establish the trado-medical centre we have array of experts and researchers.

“We want to demystify misconceptions held against traditional herbal practices that they are not occultic.

“All the herbs around us have healing properties. And all about our University community has rich endowments of herbs and roots. So we will maximally make use of them.

“We’ll harness them to cure some of the life-threatening illnesses like hemorrhoids (pile), prostate, diabetes, asthma, kidney stone, cancer, fibroid, epilepsy, bone fracture or dislocation..”

He said venturing to establish the trado-medical centre is in line with federal government vision of establishment of the Department of Traditional, Complimentary and Alternative Medicine.

“Our aim is to promote the development and commercialisation of indigenous Nigerian traditional medicine”, he said.