Report on artemisia and other medicinal plants

by Beldina Awino Ajwang, Secretary Anamed Network Group, Kendu Bay

October 2007

Medicinal garden
I joined the Anamed Group in the year 2004 and learned the importance of having a medicinal garden close to the house so I have mine just beside my house.

Medicinal herbs grown
I grow artemisia, Moringa oleifera, Carica papaya, Aloe vera, garlic, lemon tree, orange tee, tomatoes, potatoes, Euphorbia hirta, eucalyptus, lemon grass, passion fruit, ground nuts, pigeon pea and so, so many other medicinal plants.

Teaching others about Anamed
I have given lessons and seminars on natural medicine to several groups e.g. I am a Seventh Day Adventist by faith, so we have groups e.g. Dorcas (women), Adventist men, and youth. Being a leader I have taught a lot about medicinal plants. I held a large seminar at Kwoyo Kochia for the Women’s Ministry for 5 days, when I spoke about spiritual needs and medicinal plants. 150 ladies attended, including the leaders from headquarters and a guest team from Uganda. I also visit the nearby schools every Wednesday and after P.P.I. programme for spiritual nourishment I also talk about medicinal plants and how they should be protected.

I teach women’s groups, churches and any other gatherings whenever I get the chance.

Preparation of medicines
Teas: I make teas from several medicinal plants according to the needs at hand like artemisia tea for malaria, haemorrhoids etc. I also make eucalyptus tea, lemon grass tea, moringa tea and several other teas using the infusion or decoction method. I use these to treat amoebic dysentery, asthma tea, sleeplessness, coughs, sore throat and diarrhoeas.

Ointments: I also make several ointments, e.g. chilli ointment for rheumatism.

Syrup: I make syrups from eucalyptus to treat coughs in children, by following the instructions in my reference book by Dr. Hans Martin Hirt/Bindanda M´pia, “Natural Medicine in the Tropics”.

I make gargles, dress wounds, prepare local baths, make black stones, medicinal charcoal and many other oils. I have expanded and reach other areas I thought I could not reach.

Treatment
It is difficult to know the number of people who have benefited from what I am doing, because

• I give instructions to some in a written form to follow,
• some I advise on the phone, and
• I treat others in the seminars that I give in schools and churches. For example I teach mothers to prepare lemon grass tea to reduce fever in children and the entire family.

Some people give me something as a thank you, but others are unable, so I just help them get well again.

Many people think highly of me because of the black stone, and they think I am a witch doctor! Moringa oleifera - the plant does a lot to the malnourished and invalids. Aloe vera mixed with honey and pineapple juice acts as a booster for people living with AIDS (P.L.W.A.). Artemisia tea is wonderful for malaria. We use it in our sub-district hospital.

Problems experienced

• Unpredictable rainfall: This is the main problem. It destroys our medicinal plants (droughts/floods). We live in an area where, when it rains, some areas are flooded, but when there is no rain, some areas are very dry, and we don’t have any irrigation or any watering system.
• Fencing. When we use the cuttings to make a fence, the roaming goats destroy them or sometimes those who need firewood steal the dry sticks.
• Means of transport. There are some patients who live some distance away. They need assistance, but the main problem is how to reach them, they have no resources with which to pay my transport.
• Containers and labels are also sometimes becoming a problem.