Chris Otaigbe
After a long wait for the almighty vaccine that will save the world from the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic, nations have begun inventing their way out of the health catastrophe, to save their citizens.
While many sought a cure through the usual orthodox medicine, others looked to the natural vegetation to generate herbal cure for the coronavirus.
Despite the World Health Organization (WHO), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Natural Medicine Journal’s insistence, that no vitamins, minerals, herbs, nutrients or other natural medicines have been shown in human clinical trials to prevent or treat the novel coronavirus, more cure claims are emerging from all over the world.
From Ghana to Zimbabwe, Madagascar to China, Singapore and Philippines, including Nigeria, the situation is the same: “We have a herbal cure for COVID-19.” This vaccine controversy has placed the power of herbs, dramatically, on the front burner of global consideration as a universally acceptable curative agent.
Indeed, before White colonialists came to Africa, our fathers and their forefathers had remedy for every ailment from physical to the spiritual. Herbs have always and continues to be the potent cure for diseases in Africa and Nigeria particularly.
“Medicine that is not potent enough is a function of the incompleteness of its herbal component.” Says a popular Yoruba parable.
To get more insight into the origin, life and function of herbs as solution to health problems, I had a chat with one of Nigeria’s foremost Trado-medical Practitioners, Quincy Sunbo Ayodele. Being a major player in the Herbal cure business in Nigeria, she has made good for herself with the business of selling herbs for a living.
Growing up, she wanted to be an astronaut. “I wanted to go into space. The Apollo13 had recently landed on the moon. I just thought that was the greatest thing ever. I always wondered what was up there. I’m very into astronomy.” She said.
Quincy always had a passion for exploring natural herbs as curative agent and in the absence of orthodox medicine; it was the only access of her people to cure.
“It’s something that was always with me. I grew up in the village with my grandmother until my teenage years, and roots and shoots were the way of life in those days. There was no access to western medicine, and so traditional medicine was all we used; it was all we knew. I brought the knowledge to Lagos with me, but I noticed it was shunned in Lagos, maybe as fetish or whatever. It was the 80s and early 90s, and everyone wanted to be as western as possible back then.” Said Quincy.
Her entry into the herbal cure business as a commercial venture came through a personal experience that landed her in the hospital. Already into beauty as a trained cosmetologist, Quincy was also battling ailments underlying health condition being overweight. She was always being rushed to the hospital.
“The western medicine not working well, I needed to lose weight, and fast! I had done the exercise and did the diet thing to no avail. I remembered my herbs from the village, combined it with my diet and exercise, and began to see drastic results. My clients from my saloon began to ask how I did it, and that was how it started.” Said Quincy.
According to her, the business began to yield profit, almost immediately she decided it was what she was going to do in 1996. “The breakthrough was when news stations began to report on this “young lady on the island that was selling Agbo”. Dele Momodu of Ovation then did a story on me back then, and the rest is history.” She said.
As a Small Medium Enterprise (SME), she said support from government, which she started getting from the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo, has been fair to her. “Well I think the government is trying. I’ve been collaborating with them to pass a traditional medicine bill.” She said.
Due to the delicate nature of the business and the fact that its acceptability is still not as strong as those orthodox medicines, she said Start-ups coming into the business of Herbal medicine must not only be good at what they are selling but must have a passion for the job.
“Do not start mixing random things together just to make profit. We are supposed to be healers. It is like being a doctor- you take an oath to heal above all. Do not corrupt the industry with your lack of knowledge. Take courses, read and know your stuff.” Said Quincy.
Patronage for herbal cure in Nigeria is on the increase in Nigeria, according to her, adding that Nigerians have seen that western medicine is not the be all, end all, “and now they are looking to natural remedies to cure common ailments. Look at the COVID-19 pandemic as an example.” She said.
Confirming that Nigerian herbs have already been making waves across the globe, she said some Nigerian herbal products, including her own, are on Amazon.com in the US, as the Players have improved on the process to deliver to their clients worldwide.
“Nigerian herbal products are very well received abroad, and doing well. All Glory to God.” Concluded Quincy.
