SEC-S16 / W5 | "Ancient Medicine"

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Hello friends!!

Medicine is to the body as what food is to the body

In your country, ¿what type of ancient medicine did they perform?

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Medicine has always been a part of our forefathers. Then there was no hospitals or medical care centers so they made for themselves local medicines that helped them through sickness and disease.

In my country Nigeria, there are several type of ancient medicines. While growing up my grandmother had her way with ancient medicines. Once I suffered from measles. At that time I visited the village with my Dad. Grandma got sugar cane. She would chew the sugar cane and spite out the water on every part of my body. She said sugar cane juice was a cure to measles. Guess what? It worked.

We also have a plant called Dogoyaro in English it is called Neem. Dogoyaro is a Hausa word for a very tall person. This tree called Neem is actually so long and ever green, I guess that's why the name Dogoyaro. Mum back then would always pluck these leaves, wash and boil them. Then she would give the water gotten from boiling this leaves to us to drink. She believed it treated malaria and thyroid.

In Nigeria there are ancient medicines used are mostly herbal medicines produces plants. Such plants may include moringa, Dogoyaro, paw paw, ginger, sugar cane and many others. These herbal medicines was specifically prepared by special men and women that are believed to have gifts of medicine.

It was believed that these herbs prepared must work for each specific functions if followed judicious.

Can you give your honest opinion according to your beliefs? (your point of view is valuable to us)

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My honest opinion about ancient medicines is very simply. Although it worked in time past probably because there was no science, so God gave them herbs as medicine to take care of issues.

But do you know, even though these ancient medicines helped them, some these medicines destroyed more lives too. Because some were not properly tasted.

Personally, I do not believe in herbal medicines. Even though I have used it in time past. I prefer to go to the hospital, run a test and find out what exactly is wrong with my body before taking any further step.

Some of these ancient medicines, do not pass through proper and necessary steps of purification therefore may have many hidden side effects as some doesn't even have dosage.

Can you describe some elements they used at the time? What was the special use of each one?

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I think I have already started describing some already but I would continue.

• Moringa leaf

The moringa leaf is believed to do so many jobs in the body. Infact they call it washing and setting. The leaf can be dried and grounded into pounder from used to regulate blood sugar in the body, used to treat eye problems, also used against as supplements.

• Dogoyaro (Neem)

This also another plant used for ancient medicine. It is believed that this plant deals with malaria and thyroid. The medicine is prepared by washing the leaves, and adding a water into it and boil. The water is what is drank but the leaf is not eaten. The water is also used for bathing.

• Ginger and Garlic

These are used to deal with digestion, infection, blood pressure, and food poisoning.

• Bitterleaf

Used for the treatment of low blood count, used to stop blood in a cut, used as energy booster, used as weight loss therapy and a cure malaria.

• Paw Paw leaf and seeds

Paw paw seeds are used for the treatment of cough and catarrh while the leaf is used to treat and prevent cancer disease in people.

Design a scenario about ''Ancient medicine''

Mum had medicine for handling almost everything. Once I was mopping the floor and put my hands under a chair to clear up dust instead of using broom and one of my fingers was cut because there was a shape object under.

Blood started flowing and refused to stop. mum went out into our garden and plugged a leaf squeezed it with her hands and applied the juice that came from it on my finger and the blood stopped instantly and the pain stopped too.

Growing up mum mastered the particular time we the kids usually fall ill. She always found a way to prevent the sickness from attacking us.

Mum will come home with the(Dogoyaro) Neem plant wash them from sand or dust. She would put the leaves into a special big pot, add water into the pot and cook the leaf with water for at least 20-45 minutes.

The brings the pot down, take out some of the water from the pot and allow it to cool off. The water is usually so bitter. And as kids we didn't like bitter substance and found it difficult to drink it. More will get things like biscuits, and sweets and will tell us the kids that any one who is able to drink would take biscuits and sweets. That was how we always drank mum's medicine.

This prevented us from having malaria or thyroid and even when we caught it, it was cured.

I would like to invite some friends to join this contest @ninapenda @dove11 @hisgeneral