SEC-S16 / W5 | " Ancient Medicine"🌍👩⚕️

Ancient medicines played an important role before civilization and it has extended its reign even till today. We have people across the globe who solely rely on ancient medicines to treat all kinds of ailments based on their beliefs.

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Most people from rural parts of a country will still see so many of these things around. I have constantly seen a lot and I would like to share my experience with you in this article. Would you ride with me?

In Nigeria, the major types of ancient medicines practiced are from the combination of different leaves, plants and bark of trees (all cooked together to a certain temperature), we call it Àgbo in my local language. This is the purest method of ancient medicines utilized to cure all forms of sickness and diseases. We grew up taking some of these things even though at a point, we used our discretions to say No to the consumption of some of these concoctions.

_{Ancient Medicine Representation | Pixabay}

In the other way, extreme traditionalists go beyond combinations of leaves, plants, and the bark of trees. Traditionalists sometimes add living beings like birds, cats, and so on, burnt to ashes and added to combinations of other leafy concoctions. This is used for spiritual purposes, with good or bad intentions according to their belief.

We can't deny the fact that many of us from the countryside see many of these things but we have only chosen to know what to interact with.

For example, newborns are sometimes fed or bathed with plant concoctions to fight against certain infections, from the day they are born and the next few days after birth. However, many people are going against such practices for newborns as the campaign for exclusive breastfeeding is almost in every nook and cranny of the town.

I can't deny the effectiveness of ancient medicines, I have once enjoyed their healing side even though one has to contemplate taking some of them, because sometimes their appearances tell a story about contamination. That could mean another harm to the body system, more reason why there are numerous campaigns against giving it to children.

I have been healed by an ancient medicine before and that takes us down memory lane. Shortly after my high school education, I used to have a recurring high fever that happened at an interval of 4 days. We used certain medical treatments for a while but to no avail, then I used to anticipate the crisis days based on the studied interval.

That went on for months until one day when a group of traditional doctors travelling around the country hit our door, and got me tested with a small medical device. He highlighted my condition as a result of excess sugar and gave a liquid mixture (ancient medicine). I was instructed to add lime into it and drink at an interval and that was the end to the disturbing ailment.

The effectiveness of ancient medicines surrounds us and we can testify to it from time to time, although, one has to be careful to be certain he/she is ingesting a healthy mixture and in a moderate proportion.

There are a lot of elements used in ancient medicines, just as the list of plants is endless so is the list of these elements. Let's take a look at some important ones.

• Ginger- Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that fight against free radicals that can contribute to the growth of damaged cells. It is sometimes eaten raw, boiled or ground with other food ingredients (added to the meal).

• Lemon- Lemon is well known for weight loss and improving digestion. Some recommended that taking warm water and lime in the morning will improve the body's digestive system.

_{Lemon | Pixabay}

• Lime and Honey- The mixture of lime and honey is a good remedy for cough. I grew up using this ancient medicine to treat cough and it's highly effective.

• Palm Oil and Sugar- Palm oil is an extract from the palm fruit (reddish in color). The mixture of palm oil and sugar is another amazing ancient medicine that helps in relieving cough. I have a personal experience with this as well.

My wife's sister who is a 5th year student of Science Laboratory Technology in the University used Clove as a study in her pre-seminar some months ago towards the partial fulfilment of a Bachelor of Technology certification. And in the process, she used the ancient medicine to solve a pending issue.

She has a family friend who was not able to conceive after a long time, even though they had two children before. So what happened? The wife had taken some contraceptive injections before and the effect is lasting beyond what was expected, and the wife may be subjected to further medical treatment to make a correction.

The young lady in her study found out how helpful clove can help with conception, she instructed the woman to start boiling clove every morning and take it for as long as there is a result.

A few months ago, we heard the news about the woman who is now pregnant. I was amazed at what Clove did to the woman while she didn't have to pay for any expensive treatment at the hospital.

In conclusion, ancient medicines are effective in treatments and at a very low cost. One of the disadvantages of using this method of treatment is that most of the mixtures are not regulated, as such people tend to consume more than the needed proportion.

The scary part of this type of medicine is the utilization of body parts of living beings (even humans) for healing or other solutions. It is recommended to take only what is regulated by a standard body, for treatments. I hereby invite @karianaporras, @ninapenda and @pelon53 to take part in the contest.