By Bisi Olominu

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The University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, UNIMED, within its short span of establishment is living up according to her aims and objectives of setting up the citadel of learning.
The institution whose motto is ” For Learning and Community Services” is already contributing to expanding the frontiers of knowledge by establishing first centre for herbal medicine and drug productions in Nigeria.
UNIMED has acquired five hectares of land in Bolorunduro, in Ondo East Local government area of the state for planting herbal plants that will be used for the institution’s drugs production.
Not only this, the institution through drugs production wants people to have access to drugs that can cure some ailments and contribute to their well being.
With dwindling national and state resources from the oil sector, the university is foraging into multi billions area of herbal medicine and drug productions which many African countries and developed world have embraced and making fortunes out of herbal medicine.
Again, as part of efforts toward translating results of studies and clinical trials on natural products from the laboratory into clinical medicine, healthcare delivery and the market place, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, is confronting preventable diseases with its strong focus on prevention through herbs translates into drugs, so that, the population and communities are healthy.
Over the past decade, the use of herbal medicines represents approximately 40% of all healthcare services delivered in China while the percentage of the population which has used herbal medicines at least once in Australia, Canada, USA, Belgium, and France is estimated at 48%, 70%, 42%, 38%, and 75%, respectively.
The global herbal market is forecast to hit $107 billion. The growth is said to be spurred by a growing ageing population, widespread acceptance of functional foods and rise in consumer confidence to include herbs in preventive health and alternative medicine regimens.
Herbal medicine, also called botanical medicine or phytomedicine, according to the American Botanical Council, refers to using a plant’s seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes.
Also known as complementary and alternative medicine, herbs are classified as drugs and are regulated in some countries in Europe, especially in Germany, where an expert medical panel, actively researches their safety and effectiveness.
Before the introduction of orthodox medicine, Nigerians relied mainly on local herbal medicines. About three-quarters of the world’s population currently use herbs and other forms of traditional medicines to treat disease, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In the United States and Europe, herbal medicines represent a major share of the pharmaceutical market and are included in the regular medical practice. Just recently, a group of scientists had come out with the news of a groundbreaking study that may lead to the discovery of a drug for cancer cure.
The team, led by Marte Hussaini, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Maiduguri, identified eight local herbs or plants that are more efficacious than the drugs currently being used in the treatment of cancer.
Herbal medicine has a long tradition of use outside conventional medicine, it is becoming more mainstream as improvements in analysis and quality control, along with advances in clinical research, show its value in treating and preventing diseases.
In 2014, WHO passed a resolution on the integration of traditional medicine into the global health care delivery system. The organisation sees this as a veritable strategy for building a knowledge base that could enhance policies, strengthen quality assurance, safety and use of traditional medicine.
Therefore, with the worth of herbal medicine globally put at $107billion, UNIMED, Ondo is set to get its fare shares by the establishment of her multi-million naira laboratory. Again, the drugs coming from the laboratory will improve the health of the people of the state and beyond, and also make the university financially independent.
Speaking with The Hope on this breakthrough, UNIMED Director on Policy and Projects Management, Professor Adeduro Adegeye, said that the future of Nigeria is tied to the embrace of herbal medicine.
According to him, ” With the cost of orthodox medicines going beyond the reach of common man and medical doctors can’t cope with the influx of patients in various hospitals, even malaria drugs becoming resistant to malaria, the future is the development of our herbal medicine which is cost effective and can cure every disease.
” Again, with poverty ravaging our land and people dying of preventable diseases, there’s the need to develop this area of medicine which is a multi billions naira venture and countries like India, China, USA and others are making fortune out of herbal medicine.
”In UNIMED, we are the first University that will establish Centre for herbal medicine and drug productions in Nigeria and third in Africa. The essence is to make our students, the doctors to appreciate herbal medicine, develop it like it is being done in India, China, Germany, which make them countries to be reckoned with in herbal medicine today and are making trillions of dollars from herbal medicine.
”What they are doing in these countries can be replicated in Nigeria and UNIMED is equal to the task. We have these herbs in abundant here in Nigeria. So, we want our students to focus on this aspect, appreciate herbs medicine. We are not training our medical students like it is being done in University of Ibadan, UNILAG and other universities, but we are making them to see that grass and other herbs that are plenty in the state can be used effectively to treat any disease.”
He stated further that the herbs being developed by the university can be used to threat diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, dementia, insomnia and ulcer
Professor Adegeye disclosed that the university has packaged some herbs into capsules and they are in various pharmacy shops in the state and beyond the state. Adding that the university had acquired five hectares of land where herbal plants will be planted in Bolorunduro, Ondo East Local government area.
” You should know that in some developed world that embraced herbal medicine, they place it side by side with Orthodox medicine and many are choosing herbal medicine because of its effectiveness. What India has achieved with herbal medicine in the last ten years and trillions raked in by the country is our focus in this university. We want to make the university unique and self sustainable, and we believe that the university in the next five to ten years, will be able to pay workers.