Reviving African Medicine And Civilization

As a healer, Adodo dwells on the negative effects of economic growth and development in the health sector. He wonders why "despite our claim to better education, better technology, better skill, cases of deadly diseases are increasing all over the world....

Fr. ANSELM ADODO, OSB, has been eliciting commendation for his research into the thick bush of African medicine; the high scale technology that is currently being used in the production of herbal products at Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratories, Ewu-Esan, along the Auchi-Benin Road, in Edo State; and the positive curative heights so far attained in the administration of herbal medicines at the well-tendered Pax Centre.

In another plane, those who have listened to Adodo's speeches at seminars and workshops, congresses or conventions, or on the intellectual circuit would have identified the indelible traces of Fr. Adodo's tireless revolution in the transformation of African medicine and the revival of African civilization.

Now, Fr.Adodo has meticulously put together the intellectual strands of his thoughts into his new book: "Herbal Medicine and the revival of African Civilization", due for release in Nigeria, London, New York, Australia and Canada, February, 2010.

The 164 page paper back consists of five chapters: Chapter One: Africa and the Road to greatness; Chapter Two: The Rise and Fall of African Civilization; Chapter Three: History of Medicine in Africa: Chapter Four: The Other Side of Medicine and Chapter Five: Principles of Herbal Medicine.

Adodo's fascination with the subject of medicine is evident in the chapters and pages he devoted to its discourse. While chapters one and two examine the tortuous path of African civilization, chapters, three, four and five accentuates the holistic nature of African medicine.

The author's unquenchable predilection for the development and promotion of Herbal Medicine is amplified by his introduction. He states: "The aim of this book is to show that herbal medicine is a KEY PART of African Civilization and is necessary to the economic, social and cultural recovery of Africa".

As a healer, Adodo dwells on the negative effects of economic growth and development in the health sector. He wonders why "despite our claim to better education, better technology, better skill, cases of deadly diseases are increasing all over the world." He notes that it is a challenge to mankind that more and more people are dying of cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease among others in spite of the huge profits being raked in yearly by the big pharmaceutical companies in the developed world.

The author is unsparing in his critique of the rich and the poor for their role in wantonly destroying the natural resources of the world. He writes that while rich countries continue to damage the earth through excessive greed, consumerism and unstoppable lifestyle which has manifested in biodiversity loss and climate change, the poor also damage the earth through bush burning, cutting down of valuable trees without any plan to replace them by cultivation and the selling of rare animal parts to raise money to feed.

He does not end there! He laments: "For instance, the development of Asia has come at a price. Asia is in danger of losing up to 75 per cent of its forest and 40 per cent of its biodiversity this century. Already, in 25years, Asia has lost one-half of its forests, degraded one-third of its agricultural land and became home to 13 of the world's most polluted cities".

So, what is the way forward? Adodo remains blunt. Stop complaining, lamenting, wishing that things could be better and that government will do something, he chides the reader. Do something positive! He exhorts the reader that real power lies in the hands of men and women of ideas, of imagination and Will.

There is something in Adodo's latest literary effort for everyone: developmental history and ideas; strategy for economic growth and development, and of course, the unstoppable march of herbal medicine in evolving a responsive primary health care system, which emphatically symbolises Adodo's unbreakable Will and silent revolution!

"For every sickness, there is a plant somewhere in the garden to cure it. Somewhere in the African garden is a plant for the cure of cancer. Somewhere in the African garden is a plant for the cure of diabetes, hypertension, or malaria. Medicine, whether orthodox or alternative, started in the bush. Many of the most potent drugs ever developed by human beings came from plant sources". By Fr. ANSELM ADODO