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Aug 12, 2006
<br>PROFESSOR Job Isaac Jondiko of Maseno University in western Kenya has discovered an anti-malarial herbal tea. <br>The tea is made using dry ground <i>Artemisia</i> leaves.
By John Kasozi
PROFESSOR Job Isaac Jondiko of Maseno University in western Kenya has discovered an anti-malarial herbal tea.
The tea is made using dry ground Artemisia leaves.
“Artemisia is a herb from China and is a source of artemisima and hydroartemisinin compounds used to manufacture anti-malarial drugs. My interest is to promote plants for the treatment of malaria. In the village an ordinary person will plant Artemisia annua that takes seven months to mature and treat his family,†says Prof Jondiko, a researcher on herbs.
The herb can be grown in loam and clay soils, weeding and the use of organic manure are recommended. The Lake Victoria and highland regions are favourable altitudes.
According to Jondiko, crude extracts are preferred because purification destroys active ingredients.
A combination therapy, the first line in malarial treatment, is made up of the ingredients from Artemisia and other drugs like lumafantrine. For instance, a combination of artemether and lumafantrine makes coartem; dihydroartemisi-nin and paraquinine makes cotexcin.
Three grammes of Artemisia are mixed with 600ml or two glasses of boiling water and left to stand for 15 minutes. The tea is filtered and divided into four. Each portion is taken at intervals of six hours. The process is repeated four times after every five days.
Jondiko says his firm, JOJI Consultants, advises on the diagnosis of malaria and cultivation and processing of the herb.
Jondiko is also a research fellow with 48 universities in East Africa. He beleives his research efforts to discover other plants that could help eradicate diseases, will be boosted by the Lake Victoria Research (VicRes) initiative.
VicRes is implemented by the Inter-University Council for East Africa and funded by the Swedish International development.
PROFESSOR Job Isaac Jondiko of Maseno University in western Kenya has discovered an anti-malarial herbal tea.
The tea is made using dry ground Artemisia leaves.
“Artemisia is a herb from China and is a source of artemisima and hydroartemisinin compounds used to manufacture anti-malarial drugs. My interest is to promote plants for the treatment of malaria. In the village an ordinary person will plant Artemisia annua that takes seven months to mature and treat his family,†says Prof Jondiko, a researcher on herbs.
The herb can be grown in loam and clay soils, weeding and the use of organic manure are recommended. The Lake Victoria and highland regions are favourable altitudes.
According to Jondiko, crude extracts are preferred because purification destroys active ingredients.
A combination therapy, the first line in malarial treatment, is made up of the ingredients from Artemisia and other drugs like lumafantrine. For instance, a combination of artemether and lumafantrine makes coartem; dihydroartemisi-nin and paraquinine makes cotexcin.
Three grammes of Artemisia are mixed with 600ml or two glasses of boiling water and left to stand for 15 minutes. The tea is filtered and divided into four. Each portion is taken at intervals of six hours. The process is repeated four times after every five days.
Jondiko says his firm, JOJI Consultants, advises on the diagnosis of malaria and cultivation and processing of the herb.
Jondiko is also a research fellow with 48 universities in East Africa. He beleives his research efforts to discover other plants that could help eradicate diseases, will be boosted by the Lake Victoria Research (VicRes) initiative.
VicRes is implemented by the Inter-University Council for East Africa and funded by the Swedish International development.