Traditional Healers have acknowledged the use of traditional medicines to cure troublesome diseases like Covid-19.
Up to now Covid-19 has claimed many lives across the globe with countries like China, Britain, Russia and many more coming up with various vaccines meant to suppress the spread of the pandemic.
However Zimbabwe is not left out in the fight against the pandemic. The use of traditional herbs like zumbani is a testimony of how effective traditional medicines are in healing the diseases.
Speaking at the African Traditional Healers Commemorations Day in Harare yesterday, Pro Metra Chairman Mr Beaven Munyengeterwa said traditional medicines were effective in the fight against diseases hence it is also a priority for people to use them as an alternative for scientific medicines.
He added that traditional medicines proved their worth in suppressing the Covid-19 virus.
“Because in Zimbabwe we have been using scientific medicines but WHO is also emphasizing people to use traditional medicine as an alternative but the way this alternative is no more there, we should make sure that we use traditional medicines.
“People have been using traditional medicine in their houses some there are not admitted in the hospitals because hospitals were full but people have recovered from Covid-19 so the theme of saying traditional medicines is not an alternative we should remove that and make traditional medicine as a substantive medicine which cures people,” said Munyengeterwa.
Mr Munyengeterwa who is also a traditional healer said they will work with different stakeholders to ensure that traditional medicines are accepted in our society.
“As Pro Metra we have got stakeholders which we are going to bring in different government ministries such as traditional medical council, local government, the chiefs council, Environmental Management Agency {EMA] and primary and secondary education so that we work together with all those ministries to come with one solution for the use of traditional medicines. All those institutions have got a role to play in these traditional medicines,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Registrar of Traditional Medicines Practitioners Council {TMPC} Mrs Joyce Guhwa encouraged traditional healers to come up with different medicines so that they can be used by all people in healing diseases.
“Our message as Traditional Medicines Practitioners Council {TMPC} is to encourage practitioners to come fourth with remedies and solutions to this pandemic specially for research to establish the safety of their medicines because we know people we know people are using traditional medicines outside there in the community but we are encouraging them to bring them fourth so that we nationalize the medicines that they are using for combating this practice,” she added.
Traditional medicines are used to heal a lot of diseases like cancer, herpes, immune boosting medicines and others, however a lot of people are resorting to scientific medicines because they lack substantial knowledge about African herbs. Traditional healers are also accused of being witches because some of them have herbs which are used for money rituals and witchcraft.
The event was also attended by various traditional organisations like Pro. Metra Zimbabwe, Dare Remweya Yevadzimu Association, Zimbabwe National Practitioners Association, {ZINPA}, Traditional Medical Practitioners Council {TMPC} and Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association {ZINATHA}.