Before the invasion of foreign pills, operating rooms, and prescriptions, Africa was its own hospital. The land itself was a doctor, and the trees, shrubs, and roots were pharmacists. The African bush was, and still is, a living pharmacy, a place where every leaf carries wisdom, every root carries healing, and every bark carries history. But modern Africans, dazzled by imported bottles and tablets, dying from high rise in pharmaceutical drug prices, have forgotten the green medicine that healed their ancestors for centuries.
Our forefathers did not die from lack of knowledge. They lived long, strong, and sound, guided by herbal intelligence passed down from generation to generation. The bush was their laboratory; observation and experience were their clinical trials. Today, what multinational drug companies sell to Africans in capsules and syrups are often extracts of the same herbs that grow in our own backyards. Take dogonyaro (Neem tree), that tall village healer with a bitter bite. Its leaves are used to treat malaria, fever, and infections. It is antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral. Science now confirms what our elders already knew, that dogonyaro purifies the blood, regulates blood sugar, and strengthens immunity. Yet, we spend fortunes buying imported drugs whose “active ingredient” is dogonyaro extract.
The Moringa tree, called the miracle tree, is another treasure. Its leaves cure malnutrition, balance blood pressure, and strengthen the bones. A handful of moringa leaves contains more nutrients than any vitamin pill. Pharmaceutical firms in the West now bottle “Moringa supplements” and sell them to Africans – the same leaves that fall from trees in our compounds.
Then, there is bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina). That harsh-tasting green our mothers used to chew raw. It cleanses the liver, lowers blood sugar, and treats malaria and typhoid. Aloe vera was our natural burn ointment, skin healer, and digestive tonic. It is now imported in plastic tubes and branded as “Aloe gel”.
But Nigeria, especially, holds deeper herbal wealth that the world has barely begun to document. The utazi leaf (Gongronema latifolium), common in Southeastern Nigeria, is not just a food spice; it lowers cholesterol and treats stomach aches. Uziza (Piper guineense) is used for respiratory infections, boosting fertility, and improving blood circulation. The ogwu abada (African incense bark) is boiled to cure fever, and nchanwu (scent leaf) is used for coughs, colds, and digestion, which is also known to calm the nerves when taken as tea.
In the forests of the Niger Delta and the Yoruba lands, ihienlo, as it is called in Esan, but called ewedu in Yoruba (jute leaf), is not only a soup thickener but a rich source of antioxidants that protect the body from disease. Ogidigbo bark is used for rheumatism and back pain, while agbo, the Yoruba herbal concoction, remains one of the most powerful detoxifiers when properly prepared. Our ancestors also used ginger, garlic, and alligator pepper as daily medicine, strengthening the immune system, purifying the blood, and preventing infections. These were not superstitions but science rooted in experience.
The difference between the bush clinic and the pharmacy lies in philosophy. The bush heals the whole being – body, mind, and the human psyche; while modern pharmacy focuses on suppressing symptoms. The bush restores balance; the pharmacy often replaces one sickness with another in the name of “side effects”. Even in mental health, African herbs stand tall. Burning scent leaf or alligator pepper calms the brain, and subdues anxiety. When supported with bitter leaf juice, madness disappears and gives way to mental health restoration. No two ways about. It works like magic! It is what we now call “mental detox”. Today, those same practices are renamed “aromatherapy” and marketed to us as luxury wellness.
Africa’s tragedy is that we abandoned our medicine only to buy it back in bottles and sachets. The British and other colonialists collected our herbs, studied them, patented them, sabotaged them and returned them to us with price tags. The same bush we call primitive sustains the laboratories of Europe, America and Asia. If Africa is serious about health independence, it must return to the green wisdom of its soil. African governments should invest in herbal research centres, certify native practitioners, and integrate traditional medicine into modern hospitals. Our survival depends not on imported drugs but on rediscovering the natural pharmacy we already own.
The African bush is not backward. It is the original and the best of all clinics, the nature’s best gift to humanity, the real cure. Our ancestors were not ignorant; they were in tune with nature. Until we return to that harmony, we will remain patients in another man’s hospital, paying for what once grew freely behind our homes.
– Ambassador Ezewele Cyril Abionanojie is the author of the book ‘The Enemy Called Corruption’ an award winner of Best Columnist of the year 2020, Giant in Security Support, Statesmanship Integrity & Productivity Award Among others. He is the President of Peace Ambassador Global.