A Study of theUse ofHoney and Ethno-biologicalComponents in Nigerian Trado-medical Practices

ABSTRACT Trado-medical practice variously referred to as ethno-medicine, folk medicine, nativehealing, and alternative medicine, is an ancient and culture-bound method of healingused against various diseases threatening human existence and survival. The aim of thisstudy was to investigate the use of honey and other ethno-biological components in thetreatment of different ailments in Kwara State, North central Nigeria. Structuredquestionnaire and interview schedule were used to collect information from 280respondents (120 herb sellers and 160 trado-medical practitioners). The result revealedmethods of remedies’ preparation such as infusion, decoction, maceration, extraction,squeezing, soaking, shredding, grinding/pounding, and drying while the mode of useinclude: drinking, chewing, licking, eating, and topical application. It was also observedthat 20 plants and 6 animal products distributed across 18 and 5 families respectivelywere being used in combination with honey for the treatment of arthritis, toothache, cold,chronic cough, stomach ulcer, diabetes, wounds, hypertension, low sperm count, eardefect, rheumatism, malaria and infertility among others. The knowledge of trado-medicalOriginal Research Article

[1]  J. DicksonN..  Ethnobiological survey of traditional medicine practice for Gastro-intestinal tract infections in Oyo State, Nigeria , 2013 .

[2]  A. Nduku.  Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Following Administration of Unprocessed Nigerian Honey , 2012 .

[3]  K. Oshikoya,et al.  Herbal medicine use among urban residents in Lagos, Nigeria , 2011, BMC complementary and alternative medicine.

[4]  N. Al-Waili,et al.  Honey and microbial infections: a review supporting the use of honey for microbial control. , 2011, Journal of medicinal food.

[5]  B. Onadeko,et al.  The use of complementary and alternative medicine by asthma patients receiving care in an urban tertiary centre in nigeria. , 2011 .

[6]  A. Iqbal,et al.  Antibacterial efficacy of raw and commercially available honey , 2011 .

[7]  T. Awoyemi,et al.  Effect of Distance on Utilization of Health Care Services in Rural Kogi State, Nigeria , 2011 .

[8]  T. Adefolaju.  The Dynamics and Changing Structure of Traditional Healing System in Nigeria , 2011 .

[9]  Djebli Noureddine,et al.  Antifungal Activity of a Combination of Algeria Honey and Starch of Ginger Against Aspergillus niger , 2011 .

[10]  O. Agbagwa,et al.  Effect of raw commercial honeys from Nigeria on selected pathogenic bacteria , 2010 .

[11]  R. Moodley,et al.  Traditional healing, the body and mind in psychotherapy , 2008 .

[12]  A. Kanatas,et al.  Re: Visavadia BG, Honeysett J, Danford MH. Manuka honey dressing: an effective treatment for chronic wound infections. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2006 Nov 17; [Epub ahead of print]. , 2008, The British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery.

[13]  Verónica Sgroy,et al.  Comparison of the antibacterial activity of honey from different provenance against bacteria usually isolated from skin wounds. , 2007, Veterinary microbiology.

[14]  H. Ghafeer,et al.  The Potential Protective Effect of Natural Honey Against Cadmium-Induced Hepatotoxicity and Nephrotoxicity , 2007 .

[15]  A. Banjo,et al.  Survey for the Usage of Arthropods in Traditional Medicine in Southwestern Nigeria , 2007 .

[16]  Manuela Blasa,et al.  Flavonoids from italian multifloral honeys reduce the extracellular ferricyanide in human red blood cells. , 2006, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[17]  O. Bello,et al.  Ethnobotanical Potentials of Common Herbs in Nigeria: A Case Study of Enugu State. , 2006 .

[18]  J. Wilkinson,et al.  Bactericidal activity of different honeys against pathogenic bacteria. , 2005, Archives of medical research.

[19]  J. Parton,et al.  Honey stimulates inflammatory cytokine production from monocytes. , 2003, Cytokine.

[20]  N. Al-Waili.  Identification of nitric oxide metabolites in various honeys: effects of intravenous honey on plasma and urinary nitric oxide metabolites concentrations. , 2003, Journal of medicinal food.

[21]  A. Tonks,et al.  Stimulation of TNF-α release in monocytes by honey , 2001 .

[22]  Johan P. E. Karlberg,et al.  General Guidelines for Methodologies on Research and Evaluation of Traditional Medicine , 2001 .

[23]  Andrew Marston,et al.  The Potential of African Plants as a Source of Drugs , 2000 .

[24]  M. C. Marcucci,et al.  Propolis: recent advances in chemistry and plant origin , 2000 .

[25]  G. Kaine,et al.  Antibacterial effect of propolis and honey on oral bacteria. , 1996, American journal of dentistry.

[26]  M. Adeola.  Importance of Wild Animals and Their Parts in the Culture, Religious Festivals, and Traditional Medicine, of Nigeria , 1992, Environmental Conservation.

[27]  K. M. Russell.  The antibacterial properties of honey , 1983 .

[28]  Abayomi Sofowora,et al.  Medicinal plants and traditional medicine in Africa , 1982 .

[29]  R. Graw,et al.  CELLULAR INTERACTIONS IN THE PROLIFERATIVE RESPONSE OF HUMAN T AND B LYMPHOCYTES TO PHYTOMITOGENS AND ALLOGENEIC LYMPHOCYTES , 1974, The Journal of experimental medicine.

[30]  C. Butler.  Honey and Your Health , 1948, Nature.

[31]  J. Dalziel,et al.  The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. , 1938 .