Herbal Medicine Methods and Practices in Nigeria

The Nigerian ecosystem is most varied and contains diverse biological resources and biodiversity. The ecosystem serves as a source of medicines, foods, and diverse natural products that form the basis of traditional medicine in Nigeria. The use of traditional/herbal medicine has been in existence since time immemorial, and its practices are diverse. Its peculiarity and use are principally a function of the ethnic community in which the herbal practice is performed. It is used based on the active photochemical contained in the plants and therefore is a major component of treatment processes in over 300 ethnic communities in the country. The practice of herbal medicine is faced with a major challenge of documentation and a lack of clinical evidence to justify its use in most rural areas. This has posed a serious problem in meeting a requirement for herbal medicine that is standard and can be adopted in clinical practice. The country is rich in a collection of plants that can be used for medicinal purposes and herbal treatments, and their efficacy has been reported by research. Plants such as moringa (Moringa oleifera), neem (Azadirachta indica), and guava (Psidium guajava) to mention a few have been reported and found to exhibit good microbial inhibition. It is important to report the richness of Nigerian herbal medicine and its efficacy in treatment activities which will serve as evidence to support the incorporation of this approach into clinical medicine procedures. A number of plants in Nigeria have also been reported to contain terpenes, glycosides, alkaloids, and polyphenols which have therapeutic potential. Compounds such as orosunol, alloeudesmenol, and hanocokinoside have been identified but are yet to be researched in Nigeria. This chapter tends to highlight the medicinal plants in Nigeria, their application and use, and various therapeutic activities they can perform. Conversely, there is a dire need for information and research into the use of herbal plants to cure neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that can be facing humans in Nigeria. It also highlights the prospects and future trends in the use of herbal medicine in the quest for acquiring a basis for herbal medicine procedures to be incorporated into Nigerian clinical care.