Local herbs cure malaria
Sep 14, 2003
For long communities in various parts of Uganda have used a herb locally known as kapapula, to cure malaria but they did not know what it contains or how it works. They mixed it with other herbs to make a potent concoction against malaria.
By Charles Wendo
For long communities in various parts of Uganda have used a herb locally known as kapapula, to cure malaria but they did not know what it contains or how it works. They mixed it with other herbs to make a potent concoction against malaria.
Scientists at the National Chemotherapeutics Laboratory (NCTL) picked one such concoction from a traditional healer in Mubende. They then identified the ingredients and tested it on patients.
What they found out was amazing. The kapapula plant by itself is poisonous though it wipes out malaria from blood. However, the second herb removes the poisonous effect of kapapula without compromising its potency against malaria. The result of the mixture is a safe anti-malarial concoction.
“We have been researching on anti-malarial herbs, picking them from all over the country and we have succeeded with one,†said Dr. Goretti Nambatya, Director of NCTL.
The anti-malarial herb is a creeping plant with broad, succulent leaves. It thrives in most parts of Uganda. Scientists at NCTL have signed an agreement with the herbalist who provided the original concoction, to protect his intellectual property.
For three years, the scientists have been trying out various proportions of the herbal mixture and testing them on patients. Some of the patients healed by the herbal concoction had malaria strains that were resistant to conventional medicines such as chloroquine and fansidar.
“We now have a specific formula that we can trust. We don’t encourage people to use the plant alone because it is toxic. We have worked out how to remove the toxins,†Nambatya said.
But it is not the end of the story. The drug is to be tested on a larger number of patients, in which researchers will continue to monitor the effectiveness as well as possible side effects.
Dr. Ambrose Talisuna, assistant commissioner in charge of epidemiological surveillance, said it is important to religiously follow research guidelines before releasing such a herb. This includes lab tests to identify possible toxic effects, before tested it on animals, then a small number of human beings and eventually a large number of people.
In addition to the malaria herbal concoction, NCTL has also developed herbal remedies for high blood pressure, diabetes and skin ailments. They are also researching on herbal insecticides.
The Minister of Health, Jim Muhwezi said the Government would encourage and support scientists to carry out research on local medicinal herbs and enable them to be produced industrially. He said Government was spending a lot of money on importation of drugs, which would be saved if they the drugs were produced locally.
“I don’t see why we should not produce our own drugs. We have the knowledge and the raw materials. We have very many herbs that we use but in a crude form. We want to scientifically pick out the ingredients and process them so that they are able to live on the shelf for long,†he said.
For long communities in various parts of Uganda have used a herb locally known as kapapula, to cure malaria but they did not know what it contains or how it works. They mixed it with other herbs to make a potent concoction against malaria.
Scientists at the National Chemotherapeutics Laboratory (NCTL) picked one such concoction from a traditional healer in Mubende. They then identified the ingredients and tested it on patients.
What they found out was amazing. The kapapula plant by itself is poisonous though it wipes out malaria from blood. However, the second herb removes the poisonous effect of kapapula without compromising its potency against malaria. The result of the mixture is a safe anti-malarial concoction.
“We have been researching on anti-malarial herbs, picking them from all over the country and we have succeeded with one,†said Dr. Goretti Nambatya, Director of NCTL.
The anti-malarial herb is a creeping plant with broad, succulent leaves. It thrives in most parts of Uganda. Scientists at NCTL have signed an agreement with the herbalist who provided the original concoction, to protect his intellectual property.
For three years, the scientists have been trying out various proportions of the herbal mixture and testing them on patients. Some of the patients healed by the herbal concoction had malaria strains that were resistant to conventional medicines such as chloroquine and fansidar.
“We now have a specific formula that we can trust. We don’t encourage people to use the plant alone because it is toxic. We have worked out how to remove the toxins,†Nambatya said.
But it is not the end of the story. The drug is to be tested on a larger number of patients, in which researchers will continue to monitor the effectiveness as well as possible side effects.
Dr. Ambrose Talisuna, assistant commissioner in charge of epidemiological surveillance, said it is important to religiously follow research guidelines before releasing such a herb. This includes lab tests to identify possible toxic effects, before tested it on animals, then a small number of human beings and eventually a large number of people.
In addition to the malaria herbal concoction, NCTL has also developed herbal remedies for high blood pressure, diabetes and skin ailments. They are also researching on herbal insecticides.
The Minister of Health, Jim Muhwezi said the Government would encourage and support scientists to carry out research on local medicinal herbs and enable them to be produced industrially. He said Government was spending a lot of money on importation of drugs, which would be saved if they the drugs were produced locally.
“I don’t see why we should not produce our own drugs. We have the knowledge and the raw materials. We have very many herbs that we use but in a crude form. We want to scientifically pick out the ingredients and process them so that they are able to live on the shelf for long,†he said.