Healthcare and Economic Growth in Nigeria : A Repository Database System for Traditional Herbal Medicines Used in Healthcare

It is no secret that health is instrumental to an individual’s education, income and overall development. Studies show this is true for countries as well; health can be a causative factor for the aggregate economic growth of a country. In spite of more than 150 years of introduction of Western style medicine to Nigeria, traditional healing and medical practices remain a viable part of the complex health care system in Nigeria today. As important as traditional medicine is, there is no complete database for medicinal plants in the Nigerian locality that are comprehensive enough to meet the need of individuals especially for self- healthcare. The limited knowledge of the ethno botanical characteristics of plants has made people seek cure outside the country. This research work was able to build a repository database which comprises of 182 indigenous herbal medicinal plants of 70 family species (linked with the pictures of the plants), their names in the three major Nigerian languages, the parts used for medicinal purposes and the ailments/diseases they cure. However, studies have shown that not all herbal medicine or natural medicine are safe, some poisons are also natural. To reach a stage where herbal products of assured quality and effectiveness become more integrated into mainstream medicinal treatment in Nigeria, equal obstinate must be employed because of the opinion of some traditional herbalist who believe that unprocessed natural products have an innate superiority and that the mystical aura surrounding herbs will somehow be destroyed by extraction and standardization. In same vein, more innovative strategies employing all the associated sciences and information communication technologies must be created in order that traditional botanical medicine can help in the development of sustainable manner of healthcare products and dissemination of information to the dramatically expanding population.