SEC-S16 / W5 | Ancient Medicine

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share some interesting information about traditional medicine with you. Traditional medicine involves the use of natural things like leaves, the bark of trees, roots, herbs, oils, massages, and even incantations to cure sicknesses and diseases. It's fascinating to see how our ancestors used these natural remedies for healing. I think the mother nature put everything in places for us, it's just that we don't know which and how to use each plants for healing.

During the ancient days, our forefathers discovered the treatment for the disease through trial and error, which of the plants might be used as food, which has medicinal value and which is poisonous it was just a trial. I love natural medicines, maybe because it's in my family lineage both my paternal and maternal grandparents were herbalists so Momma and Papa were learning about the usefulness of many leaves, roots etc without any aches and I'm also learning while observing.

In Your Country What Type Of Ancient Medicine Did They Perform?

^{My herbs, roots, oil and balms}

In Nigeria, traditional medicine plays a significant role in healthcare, with more than 80% of the population using it in some form. There are diverse practices and beliefs related to health, including herbal remedies, religious rituals, and cultural traditions. It's incredible to see how these practices have been passed down through generations..

Some overly religious people believe that every sickness especially serious disability is an attack from the evil one, these when they are sick will run to their pastors for deliverance and prayers.

Ritualist: this one believes in healing through sacrifices of different animals and incantations. There's a sickness we call akpokom nti (Monks) this sickness is prevalent in children, so if a child suffers from it, they will cook cocoa yam and put in a Calabash for him/her and she will be made to dance around an old pit 7 times. Others will sing "Monk take a Calabash to the stream and when you get to the market smash it!" And the person who suffered the sickness will it the Coco yam.

Herbs and Plants: this involves the use of plants, leaves, roots and bark to treat an ailment, we have these medicinal plants in abundance, and a careful selection of them creates powerful remedies and I've been a beneficiary of this.

Can You Give Your Honest Opinion According To Your Beliefs? (Your Point Of View Is Valuable To Us)

Personally, I believe that traditional medicine, especially the use of plants and herbs, can be very effective. While modern medicine has its advancements, traditional medicine still holds a valuable place in our lives. It's all about finding a balance and recognizing the value of both approaches to healing.
I don't condemn any after all there will be no new without the old.

I know for sure that modern medicine has evolved from the knowledge of traditional medicine, scientists still make use of plants to form effective medicine so modern medicine is built on the fundamental ground of traditional medicine.

Can You Describe Some Elements They Used At The Time? What Was The Special Use Of Each One?

I'd love to share some specific examples of traditional remedies and their uses. For instance, there's a plant called Blue Snakeweed that has anti-inflammatory properties and can be used to treat various health conditions. Then there's palm kernel oil, which has several health benefits, including helping with convulsions and fever in children.

Elements	Uses
	This plant is called Blue Snakeweed, it has numerous health benefits it possessed anti-inflammatory properties which normally help to reduce inflammation in different health conditions. It is an antioxidant, it reduces fever and can be used to treat malaria and typhoid. It can be used to relieve pain. each time I was down with Malaria I normally took anema with this plant and that's the end of it. It's good for respiratory health, it cures cough. It aids digestion and boosts immunity etc. Google is your friend so just click and learn more!
	Palm kennel oil: it has a lot of health benefits, you can use it to rob on a child that has convulsions or runs fever and it will mitigate the situation. Its health benefits are attributed to the essential acids that are contained in it which include, vitamins K, A and E, these nutrients promote health, eyes and bone. The oil can treat skin problems and can be used to make soap. The vitamin K in it aids in wound healing.
	Bitter kola: is so good, I'm writing this out of the experience, this is anti-poison if a snake bite someone and the person chew bitter kola immediately it will neutralize the poison if you carry it in your pocket or hand it weakened the snake. Bitter kola is good for cough, any viral infection, bacterial and anti-cancer. It can relieve food poisoning, stomach upsets and diarrhoea.
	I feel I should add this even though I don't know the content, but it is a mixture of roots, herbs and leaves. My granduncle gave me it, and I soaked it in dry gin, this Traditional medicine is super! Just recently I had a very serious stomach upset with diarrhoea at midnight and I believe it was food poisoning, something that could have landed me in the hospital, but I took a shot of this concoction and that was the end of it.

Design A Scenario About ''Ancient Medicine''

Our Ancestors used traditional medicine and lived for hundreds of years, they were no medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, or scientists in general, they relied solely on herbs, plants and others to treat themselves but they lived longer than us. Why?

I find it fascinating to learn about these traditional remedies and how they have been used for generations. It's a testament to the wisdom of our ancestors and the power of natural healing.