By Samuel Abasiekong-Abasiekong
Traditional medicine is another therapy approach not known and practiced in many advance economy, but it offers proven efficacy for various health conditions in Countries which practice it.
Hitherto, its success remains a subject of debate. Its effectiveness often hinges on specific treatment used, the expertise of the practitioner, and its strength is drawn from the health care giver adherence to all its rudiments.
While some traditional practices have been scientifically validated by the World Health Organization (WHO), and authorized in some countries by their domestic health regulatory agencies, many treatments still lack the rigorous empirical proof required to standardize production.
LEGACIES OF HEALING
The legacies of treatment in Nigeria traditional medicine for instance is woven into the cultural fabric dating back thousands of years. In the pre-colonial era where healers such as the Babalawos or Ifa priests among the Yoruba utilized herbal remedies, divination, and spiritual rites to maintain community health, and at that time traditional medicine was much more patronized.
Though Western medicine arrived the sub-sahara region of Africa during the colonial era, traditional practices persisted, often blending with new influences.
Following the country independence in 1960, the Nigerian government began formal recognition of the sector, establishing the Traditional Medicine Council in 1975. Today, the Traditional Medicine Act of 2014 provides a legal framework for registration and standards, allowing many Nigerians to use herbal remedies alongside modern healthcare.
GLOBAL RECOGNITION AND RESEARCH ON TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been involved in traditional medicine since the 1970s, but its efforts gained momentum in the 1990s.
In 1978 WHO published its first guidelines on traditional medicine.
In 2002 the global health organization launched its Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002-2005, focusing on policy, safety, efficacy, and integration.
In 2014, WHO established the WHO Traditional Medicine Centre (initially as a programme).
In 2019, the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine was officially launched in India.
From 2025 to 2034, the WHO’s current Global Traditional Medicine Strategy is planning to ensure universal access to safe, effective, and people-centred traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine.
WHO has also established a Global Traditional Medicine Centre, which serves as a knowledge hub for traditional medicine, promoting research, safety, and integration into national health systems.
Additionally, they have developed guidelines and benchmarks for training and practice in various traditional medicine systems, including acupuncture, Ayurveda, and Unani medicine.
In the participation of WHO into traditional medicine regulation, it has chosen to focus on developing guidelines for herbal medicine processing, quality control, and production.
About the regulation of practitioners and practices, WHO has established benchmarks for training and practice in various traditional medicine systems.
To integrate traditional medicine into the world recognized health systems, WHO encourages countries to integrate traditional medicine into their national health systems, ensuring quality, safety, and effectiveness.
Considering Nigeria as a pilot state for this research, the international community is increasingly taking note of its traditional medicine landscape.
The WHO recognizes the work of Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA). Notably, Prof. Martins Emeje, Director-General of the NNMDA, was appointed co-chair of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (STAG-TM) in December 2025.
NNMDA is currently collaborating with the WHO to develop a comprehensive database of practitioners.
As its stance now in Nigeria, the agency has developed 27 natural medicines and health supplements, five of which have already secured the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) registration numbers.
USING TRADITIONAL MEDICINE TO TACKLE MODERN PLAGUES
The World Health Organization (WHO) is tackling modern plagues by leveraging traditional medicine, recognizing its potentials in addressing global health challenges.
Moreover WHO is working harder to integrate traditional medicine into national health systems by ensuring safety, efficacy and quality.
Some of its key initiatives in this direction include
‘Research and Development’ which she (WHO) is collaborating with countries to encourage research on traditional medicine, developing guidelines for clinical trials, and promoting evidence-based practices.
Next is its ‘Regulatory Frameworks’ in which WHO is supporting countries in establishing regulatory mechanisms for traditional medicine products, practices, and practitioners where she
strengthens the capacity of national regulatory authorities and their ethics review committees to effectively regulate traditional medicine.
RESEARCH IN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
In Nigeria for instance, research suggests that the country flora holds significant potential for managing global health crises: HIV/AIDS: Plants such as Moringa oleifera, Elaeis guineensis, and Acacia nilotica are frequently used by practitioners. Studies have identified compounds in Tithonia diversifolia and Oldenlandia affinis that show promise in managing the virus.
Viral Infections: The antiviral properties of Garcinia kola (Bitter Kola) and Azadirachta indica (Neem) have shown effectiveness against hepatitis, yellow fever, and HIV.
LASA FEVER AND EBOLA
Traditional medicine practitioners use Plumbago zeylanica to treat Lassa fever, while certain antimalarial plants are being studied for their potential against the Ebola virus.
DEFORESTATION, URBANIZATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE AS FACTORS AFFECTING TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
Deforestation, urbanization, and climate change are really impacting negatively on traditional medicine globally.
The regular cutting down of trees and destruction of green lives, has led to much loss of medicinal plants and biodiversity.
In the other hand, urbanization and climate change is disrupting plant growth cycles, reduce yields, and alter habitats, making it harder for traditional healers to find needed medical plant
The cultural shift in some countries and communities, otherwise known as urbanization has led to loss of traditional knowledge and practices as younger generations move away from this ancestral practices
Another factor affecting traditional medicine is environmental changes which affect plant potency, and or impact traditional medicine efficacy negatively.
To this effect, the 2015 Fifth National Biodiversity Report, Nigeria has boasted 91 indigenous flora species across 44 families.
But the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed 15 of these species as critically endangered due to deforestation, urbanization and climate change
Experts warned that climate change and rapid urbanization are altering the very chemistry of these plants.
Akeem Kadiri, a professor of botany at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, notes: “The plant may not be as efficacious as it used to be. Practitioners now observe that leaves are smaller and extracts less potent than in decades past.”
THE CHALLENGE OF CONVENTIONAL HEALTHCARE and TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
In Nigeria’s conventional healthcare system is often underfunded and inaccessible, driving up to 80% of the population toward herbal alternatives.
However, the traditional medicine therapy which is the alternative healthcare service faces two significant hurdles:
SUSTAINABILITY: Many practitioners lack training in sustainable harvesting. Prof. Kadiri advocates for a “10% harvesting attitude”, taking only what the plant can regenerate to ensure survival.
STIGMA: Younger generations often view traditional medicine through the lens of “animism” or superstition, a perception frequently reinforced by Nollywood portrayals of herbalists as occult figures rather than keepers of indigenous knowledge.
THE WAY FORWARD:
To bridge the gap, some conventionally trained providers are adopting an integrative approach. Kate Chinwe Eze, a healthcare provider and devout Christian, combines both methods. “I use the two approaches so that my treatment will be fast,” she says, applying this hybrid model to ailments like infertility and hypertension. Similarly, Islamic medicine is also gaining traction, particularly in Northern Nigeria, where it is often blended with traditional Hausa healing.
