In fact a member of the committee inaugurated by the Director General of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, to champion the development of herbal medicine through scientific validation of all the cure claims, Dr. Ben Amodu, says he has the cure for EVD.
Amodu, a pharmacist, and his team of researchers from Halamin Herbal centre, 10 George Innih Crescent, Apo District, Abuja and Department of Histopathology and Cytology, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) Jos, Plateau State, found that the poly herbal preparations strengthen the immune system through many cytokines and chemokines regulations.
The pharmacist said his team is a step closer to a universally accepted cure for Ebola virus, dengue fever and leishmaniasis and that the herbal preparation has also been successfully used, in clinical studies, to treat hepatitis B and C, cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis.
Amodu told The Guardian yesterday: “Base on the fact that our products have been peer reviewed for denque fever and other similar viral fever and published and currently the combination of our products SAABMAL, DAABS 2 & SAAAB are currently undergoing peer review for EVD for publications. Our products have lots of positive effects on Ebola virus.”
NAFDAC DG also confirmed to The Guardian yesterday that Amodu has samples of hispoly herbal preparations for the treatment of EVD to the Scientific Committee on Verification of Herbal Cure Claims.
Also, the executive director of the Bio-resources Development and Conservation Programme, Prof. Maurice Iwu, has given reasons why bitter kola (Garcinia kola) can stop EVD. Iwu, a professor of Pharmacognosy from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) said that an extract derived from the seeds of bitter kola could inhibit Ebola virus in cell culture at non-toxic concentrations.
Botanically known as Garcinia kola, bitter kola belongs to the plant family Guttifereae. In Nigeria it is called oje in Bokyi, edun or efiari in Efik, efrie in Ejagham-Ekin, cida goro in Hausa, efiat in Ibibio, emiale in Icheve, igoligo in Idoma, aku-ilu or ugolo in Ibo, akaan in Ijo-Izon, okain in Isekiri, and orogbo in Yoruba.
The results of the study were first presented in 1999 at the 16th International Botanic Congress in St Louis, Missouri, United States. The report also published by the BBC indicated that ‘bitter cola (Garcinia kola), a plant widely used in traditional African medicine may contain a compound that is effective against Ebola virus disease.’
Iwu and his colleagues identified Garcinia kola as a possible source of drugs using the method called Corbel (clinical observation-based ethnomedical lead).
Extracts from Garcinia kola seeds were tested against many complex viral diseases. The active compound, now known to be a bioflavonoid, was found to be active against a wide range of viruses including the influenza virus.
Iwu told The Guardian recently: “The active substance is an extract from bitter kola called Kolaviron, which contains bioflavonoids and prenylated xanthones and benzophenones.
“Work was done while a scientist at the Division of Experimental Therapeutics of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Washington DC in collaboration with Southern Research Institute (SRI).
“But no follow up. Others at Ibadan and other Nigerian universities have done follow-up work on Kolaviron.”
Phytochemical screening of the extracts of bitter kola revealed the presence of some bioactive components like alkaloids, saponins, tannins, anthraquinones and cardiac glycosides. These components determine the antibacterial activity of the seed and leaf extracts.
The results from the study published in Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research by medical doctors, pharmacists and nurses at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) provides scientific evidence that Garcinia kola has the capability of inhibiting the growth of pathogenic micro-organisms; thus it will be useful in tropical medicine for the treatment of microbial infections.
The herbal preparations that have been identified to provide the elusive cure for Ebola virus disease, Dengue fever and Leishmaniasis are made predominantly with bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), bitter cola (Garcinia kola), garlic (Allium sativum), neem tree (Azadiratcha indica), guava (Psidium guajava), lemon grass (Cymbopogum citratus), water yam (Dioscorea alata), corn/maize (Zea mays), sesame (Sesamum indicatum), Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis), sugar cane, (Saccharum officinarum), and Green amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus, inine in Ibo, tete abalaye in Yoruba
Port Louis (I think it was the name) look damn near ethereal
