THE IMPORTANCE OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE AND HEALING TECHNIQUES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID – 19 PANDEMIC

COVID – 19 pandemic has rekindled the need for the development of traditional healing techniques using traditional medicine in health care delivery. Orthodox drugs and medical services are no longer available due to border closures. This has led to the increasing interest and the interest in herbal medicines not only because of cost of orthodox medicine, but it is simply because herbal medicine has proven to work competitively effective on this novel coronavirus when western scientific medicine failed to provide effective solution to the problem while, traditional herbal medicine is making appreciate breakthrough. This paper examined the contribution of African medical practice essentially as contextual solution to the various medical challenges. This research attempted to address the problems attached to COVID – 19 disease and the stigmatization attached to indigenous medicines used in the treatment of some simple diseases ailments such as; cough, fever, headache, poison from bites, skin diseases and other infections, perhaps, because of the method of preparation used by the traditional healers. Africans can use their medical talents to apply new medicinal trials for diseases like COVID -19. The researcher discovered that, despite the benefits of the advancement of orthodoxy healing techniques, though yet to be found and made available for the treatment of COVID -19, it is also true that globalization has endangered the vitality of the shrines and sacred places that were used for providing solution for difficult issues like this. The research supports the need to redecorate the instrumentality of improving the techniques of the traditional healing heritage among African people. The paper advocates the importance of corroboration between the orthodox and traditional medical techniques with the view of equipping ourselves against emerging contemporary global challenges.