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This definition applies to all traditional systems of medicine whether in Europe, India, China or Africa. Yet whereas

European missionaries and colonial administrators left alone, sometimes even encouraged, traditional medicine in

India and China, they almost violently discouraged African traditional medicine. In particular, the intricate relationship

between African medicine and African religion made traditional medical practices key targets of attack by early

European Christian missionaries, who considered many African traditional religious rites and rituals to be against

Christian teachings and morals. Traditional healers were regarded as heathens because of their participation in

African Traditional Religion.

In The Beginning

The beginnings of civilization and the origins of the healing arts can be traced back to Africa and the divine

Inmhotep, healer to the Pharaohs. The ancient African healers had an elaborate materia medica, most of the over

5,000 plant species have been used for food and medicine for centuries. There is no clear distinction in traditional

African medicine as to when a herb ceases to be a health food and becomes a medicine. The traditions of Africa

have not been documented nearly as well as the cultures of India and China, leaving African medicinal plant species

underrepresented in modern herbal medicine. Valuable species are in danger of being lost to deforestation before we

ever come to understand them, and some such as Pygeum have become an endangered species because of the

high demand. Hopefully we will find the wisdom to preserve this ancient and immensely valuable resource for the

Earths children.

The Rich Knowledge And Wisdom Of African Herbal Medicines. The herbal way does not represent an "alternative" medicine method; it represents a way of life where its

effectiveness is very often greater and less harmful than conventional drugs. Traditional African Medicine is a holistic discipline involving indigenous herbalism and African spirituality, typically

involving diviners, midwives and herbalists. Traditional African medicine can cure various and diverse conditions.

Diagnosis is reached through spiritual means and a treatment is prescribed. Traditional African medicine, with its

belief that illness is not derived from chance occurrences, but through spiritual or social imbalance, differs greatly

from Western medicine, which is technically and analytically based. In the 21st century, modern pharmaceuticals and

medical procedures remain inaccessible to large numbers of African people due to their relatively high cost and

concentration of health centres in urban centres. In recent years, African medical practitioners have acknowledged

that they have much to learn from traditional medical practice.

Holistic Health

In traditional African societies it is believed that good health, disease, success or misfortune are not chance

occurrences but arise from the actions of individuals and ancestral spirits according to the balance or imbalance

between the individual and the social environment. African traditional understanding was that sickness was a kind of

punishment by the spirits of the ancestors to those who do not observe the rules of good social behaviour, from

whom the ancestors withdraw their protection leaving them exposed to the whims of evil spirits who cause physical

and mental dysfunctions. Traditional healers use plants in a variety of ways, depending on the illness to be cured.

Parts of plants can be applied directly to wounds and cuts or, if necessary, prepared as powders, infusions, or even

used in the form of smoke or fumes. African herbal medicine is often associated with magic, for example the

prescription of amulets and charms as prevention or treatment of diseases.

Today, many Africans including some self proclaimed Christians, and especially politicians, consult a traditional

healers for advice on various issues, including health-problems. The African traditional ‘doctors’ have skills in both

herbal remedies as well as in spiritual healing, the latter involving various traditional religious rites and rituals. In this

regard, African medical practice is holistic- it takes into account all of patient’s physical, mental, and social conditions

in the treatment of illness.

The Germ Theory of disease

The Germ Theory of disease is the foundation of modern (western) medicine and was an important basis for

innovations such as antibiotics and hygienic practices. Germ theory was validated in the late 19th century, thanks to

the works of Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) and Robert Koch (1843-1910). It proposes that microorganisms are the

cause of many diseases. Hence management of the disease is focused on establishing which microorganisms are

responsible and applying specific drugs (antibiotic) for their elimination. Modern medicine is also referred to as

Allopathy, which is defined as the treatment of a disease by using remedies whose effects differ from those produced

by that disease. This is the principle of mainstream medical practice, as opposed to that of homeopathy- a

complementary disease-treatment system in which a patient is given minute doses of natural substances that in

larger doses would produce symptoms of the disease itself.

There is no doubt that introduction of antibiotics (e.g. Penicillin), revolutionized medicine and remains one of the most

important milestones in the history of medicine. However, as observed by some critics, the concentration in modern

medicine on fighting germs using antibiotics has tended to ignore the “soil upon which the bacteria flourish” In other

words modern medicine tends to focus on the disease not the whole person, as is the case in traditional systems of

medicine. “Modern medicine seems too grounded in the study of disease [pathology] and in its eradication and not

enough in studying health and how to create and sustain it”. This in fact, is where the great divide exists between

modern medicine and African traditional medicine.

Preliminary Description Of Event

Expo of producers and products: Call us at 383-5627 if you wish to participate • Invite ALL local producers of herbs and herbal products– • Soaps & Cosmetics made of local herbs • Honey & Pollen Producers

Presentations from Speakers: Call us at 383-5627 if you wish to participate Drummers Call us at 383-5627 if you wish to participate

Food & Drink on sale • Zionites Stush In The Bush • The Asante ile-idana (the Yoruba word for Kitchen)