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Alleviation of disease and preservation of health, both conditioned by culture, have been a human pursuit since antiquity. Using drugs and diet as remedies for the disruptive episodes in the life process, is not something new. It is as old as human existence. The prehistoric humans derived the therapeutic agents from nature, without maligning the environment. The plant kingdom, since the very beginning of human civilization, served as the reservoir of medicine. Over time, the need to cover a wider variety of disease patterns and to augment the therapeutic potential of these agents, mineral and animal constituents began to be incorporated into these plant-based medicines. This use of natural resources as therapeutic agents was predicted on a unique belief system encompassing the concepts of health, physical or mental illness, diagnosis, treatment and of prevention.

The accumulated knowledge of such health practices and products is a rich cultural heritage common to all human societies, sometimes ignored or unrecognized in a formal or institutional sense. What separates this body of knowledge referred to as "traditional medicine" (TM) for lack of a better term from "modern medicine" is the fact that the latter is anchored in "science", while the former in practical experience. As long as science continued to be narrowly defined, traditional medicine remained largely unnoticed.

Increasingly, the very validity of the "traditional-modern" dichotomy is being questioned. Traditional medicine differs from the "modern" or "western" medicine not in terms of goals or effects, but in terms of their underlying cultures and historical contexts. Viewed from this perspective, the World Health Organization (1977) noted that: "all medicine is modern in so far as it is satisfactorily directed towards the common goal of providing health care, despite the setting in time, place and culture". This "traditional-modern" dichotomy is also a cultural construct that relates to certain socio-political dynamics.

Before the colonial age, medicine across the tropics was almost entirely confined to traditional remedies and practices tailored to local cultures and natural resources. Then the arrival of missionaries and colonialists in Asia, Africa and America brought modern scientific techniques and medicines that were used to serve the colonial imperative of promoting Christianity, commerce and 'civilisation'.

The introduction of modern medicine has certainly been successful on one level. The colonial powers were much more adept at controlling epidemics, deploying mass vaccination programmes against smallpox, for example, and removing tumours and cataracts.

But colonial-era medicine has left another legacy the marginalisation and downgrading of traditional medicine. Colonial powers promoted their values over traditional practices, establishing modern medicine as officially superior. In many African countries, for example, herbalists were not forbidden to practice but they were largely considered inferior or ignored, and traditional divination, sorcery and witchcraft were outlawed.

This marginalisation of traditional medical practices was later reinforced through organised healthcare systems and hospitals built on developed country models, which have continued to dominate the health systems of all countries.

In the race to meet the Millennium Development Goals, combat increasing drug resistance and tackle new diseases, traditional medicine is making a comeback. Governments, drug companies, researchers and international aid organisations increasingly recognise the value of traditional medicine and its practitioners as a source of potential new blockbuster drugs and as alternative providers of primary healthcare.

The WHO's Beijing Declaration in 2008 marked a milestone in acknowledging the need to integrate traditional medicine into national health systems. But achieving this is no easy task, not least because modern health systems are built on the legal and procedural frameworks inherited from the developed world. They may serve the purpose of advancing and propagating modern medicine but they are not necessarily conducive to promoting traditional practices.

One example is the stringent intellectual property regime. It cannot easily cope with the traditional approach to medical knowledge, which is commonly owned and freely handed down through generations. The tightly defined tests for safety and efficacy that are a hallmark of drug regulation are another constraint. They have been developed to test standardised drugs at fixed dosages and rely on being able to identify active ingredients and provide easily reproducible results. But traditional medicines are inherently diverse, both in how they are formulated and dispensed.

All drugs have side effects. Some drugs make you sleepy, others - like for example antidepressants - can give you a headache, while some, like Halfan, can make your heart beat fast. Our bodies are complex structures, built from chemicals and to function smoothly it has to be regulated. Chemicals like for instance hormones, enzymes and other molecular messengers normally make these adjustments. The purpose of drugs is often to take the place of one of the body's regulating chemicals and do what should normally be done by the body's immune system. Our body often uses the same chemical to regulate more than one process. On the other hands, drugs are targeted at a particular organ. What this means is that a drug may repair not only the desired target but also others that don't need readjustment. Drugs are not always as selective as we would like them to be. A consequence of this is that the medicine may alter a number of unrelated processes at the same time. The antidepressant amitriptyline can help depression but it can also lower blood pressure by affecting norepinephrine receptors, cause blurred vision, dry mouth and constipation by blocking acetylcholine receptors and even induce sleepiness and weight gain by binding to histamine receptors.

Modern medicine laboratory or clinical drug trials, blind and double-blind studies, determine that a certain level of the drug has to be maintained in the body to rid it of nocuous symptoms. This by itself may initially have a beneficial effect, but sustaining pre-determined, 'scientifically' approved levels in the long run also gives rise to excess intake, drug-induced/drug dependent diseases.

When used as food and supplements, herbs have no side effects. However, as a drug, herbs can have from mild to severe side effects. It is a fact that fruits, vegetables and herbs contain hundreds of active constituents that are beneficial to health. When taken in their natural state, herbs benefit the body in various ways and different people can derive different benefits from the same herbs depending on their health needs. This explains why the same herb may be prescribed for different ailments. To the chemically-minded observer, this may sound 'unscientific'. What is needed is probably some degree of humility to acknowledge that the orthodox, conventional method of healing is not the only valid health system, and that there are other ways of attaining health that are equally valid.

Dr. Nwora Ozumba is an associate professor in the department of parasitology and entomology at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Akwa, Anambra State. He is currently the National Coordinator of the Moringa Development Association of Nigeria. He spoke to NATH OMAME, JR. on the aims of his association, the challenges before the federal government, the attributes of Moringa and its economic viability.

You have been involved in the Moringa campaign for some years, is the Moringa Development Association a new phase in the campaign?
Yes! The full name is the Moringa Association of Nigeria. It is a Non-Governmental Organisation, (NGO),that is charged with the development of Moringa in Nigeria, so that at the end of day, Moringa will be appreciated in Nigeria from policy makers in government to the grassroots.

Although we have been receiving support from government, the association is driven by the private sector because we want to develop Moringa essentially as a business not as a government business. The association intends to develop Moringa along pure business lines and ethics, so that Nigeria can benefit from the open-ended potentials of Moringa.

Even though the Moringa Development Association is an NGO, don't you think the organisation requires some sort of quasi-government support to get it off the ground or give it a solid financial background so to speak?
Yes, of course. I can tell you that a government parastatal, the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology facilitated the formation of our association. It deplored one of its agency, the Raw Materials Development Council of Nigeria, to locate and bring people with interest in Moringa development in Nigeria together one formidable body.

The agency also provided financial and logistic support up to when the association was finally inaugurated in December 2010, in Abuja.So, although, we are an NGO, its an organization with government interest. Government cannot afford to ignore Moringa because it has more potential than crude oil. Who are your members?
Our membership is open to all and sundry. The basic qualification for membership is deep interest in the development of Moringa: it could be in research, cultivation, processing or any aspect in the development of Moringa. You need to believe in the numerous attributes of Moringa before you can develop a deep interest in the development in Moringa.

What are the benefits of being a member of Moringa Development Association?
All members are expected to get some support from the association in any aspect of Moringa development that he or she is involved.

Support in what form?
Support can be in form of cash; it could be in terms of expertise or technology. Take for instance, a member who wants to process Moringa Feeds Oil but do not know the technology. We will give such a member the right technical advice and even assist him or her to acquire the right machine. We also assist our members to locate markets for their finished products because production is not completed until the finished products are successfully sold in exchange for cash.
Or, it could be a member who has an interest in Moringa but does not know what to produce. We take his history and advise him or her on the aspect Moringa production that best suits his or her area of interest.

For now, we are involved in awareness creation, propagating the attributes of Moringa because the government, the organized private sector and individuals will only support a cause they know. Although Moringa grows in geographic regions of Nigeria, many people still don't know about it. It is when you show them products from Moringa and the picture of the plan that most people exclaim: “Oh we know the plant, it is found everywhere”. So, a serious campaign aimed at creating awareness for the cultivation of Moringa in Nigeria is worthwhile.

Although Moringa has so many potentials, the first step towards realising these potentials is to put a Moringa seed into the soil. The starting point really is to grow a seed of Moringa. It is only when you can grow a seed of Moringa that you can begin to talk of Moringa Seed Powder; Moringa Seed Oil; Moringa Co-agulant; Moringa Anti-Malaria products; Moringa Spices, seasoning, among others.

Clearly, one of the challenges confronting Nigeria manufacturers is packaging. How do you intend to assist your members who venture into the production of Moringa Products?
Moringa Development Association of Nigeria is involved in all aspects of Moringa development: research, cultivation, processing, packaging, marketing, etc. Our objective is to promote the marketing and exportation of all products from the stable of Moringa Development Association, globally. So, all such products will definitely conform with international standards.

Would your association be able to assist a member to secure the required finance to import a machine for the processing of Moringa from abroad?
Yes. The association is in a better position to assist its members in that direction. The beauty of coming together is that it is easier for a group of people to surmount a problem that may be difficult for one person to successful resolve.

Today, Moringa is a universal language and business. We are in contact with Moringa associations in different parts of the world including African countries, Asia and the United States. This association is in a better position to assist individuals or corporate organisations that are involved in the development of Moringa.

Is your association recognised by the federal government?
This association is registered at the corporate affairs commission, so it is a legal entity that is well established and recognized by the federal government.

Are you in contact with multi-lateral donor organizations?
Yes. Nobody will give you money no matter how lofty your ideas are. Nobody will give me money because I am the national coordinator of Moringa Development Association of Nigeria, but they will give money for projects. And for you to be given money for projects you have to write proposals.

Are putting any proposals together to that effect?
Right now we are developing a lot of proposals especially in the area of creating awareness for the Moringa plant. We are currently developing a curriculum for Moringa so that it will be taught in schools.

Once you achieve a measure of success in your awareness campaign in propagating the attributes of Moringa, entrepreneurs are bound to manifest leading, of course, to greater demand for Moringa. Are you thinking of the problems a dearth of Moringa as a prime source of raw material can pose to your campaign?
Yes. Moringa is an evergreen plant. It remains evergreen from January to December. Moringa leaves are luxuriant in the dry season and rainy season. Nature has designed it to be so, therefore, all that is needed now is for people to start planting.

You once told me that Moringa can be used for water purification. Has your association made any formal presentation to the federal government through the federal ministry of science and technology on the possibility of using Moringa for large-scale water purification in Nigeria?
A group from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria was commissioned to develop a prototype plant water purification which was demonstrated at the First Moringa Summit, last year, in Abuja.

Was the federal government represented at the summit?
Yes. And representatives of the federal government were convinced that it could work in Nigeria. Malawi is currently using Moringa for water purification. It was demonstrated at the summit that the federal government can generate about N500 billion a year from Moringa as well as create thousands of jobs annually.

When you say N500 billion are you referring to tax?
I am referring to the annual turnover of Moringa business.

Was that why you referred to Moringa as Nigeria's evergreen gold?
Yes, Moringa is our evergreen gold because if you compare Moringa and our black gold, which is crude oil, you will see clearly that Moringa is more financially rewarding.

If N500 billion is realised from crude oil sales annually, part of it will go for the amelioration of the environment, combating militancy, payment of ransom for kidnap personnel of oil companies, settlement of oil communities, among others. On the other hand, Moringa helps the environment by releasing a lot of oxygen into the atmosphere. Unlike oil, Moringa has no environmental hazards. If you are looking for money, Moringa presents ample opportunity and if you are looking for knowledge, Moringa is both science and an art.