A team of medical experts and investors from India are in Uganda making feasibility studies about establishing a college on herbal medicine, the Ayurvedic College.Dr Abbas Shihab, one of the experts, who has been operating a herbal medical clinic in Ntinda, says the team has been working with investors to make use of the available herbal resources to prevent and cure malaria, high blood pressure and diabetes. Under the project codenamed “Bringing Excellence in Ayurveda to Uganda”, the team will conduct research, sensitization and capacity building.The Ayurvedic College will be attached to a local university yet to be identified. Ayurvedic medical science has been practised in India for over 6,000 years, with a reported 70% of the population still dependent on it. The practice was approved by WHO as a health science and has since spread to the rest of the world, including UK, Europe and USA, where the California College of Ayurveda is of great benefit to the locals.Inroads for Uganda
For about two years now, a group of Indian doctors has been operating such a clinic in Ntinda, the AyrHome (U) Ltd, using local herbs to treat patients. Today, the clinic is working with the Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Laboratories in Wandegeya to lobby government so that the project could be implemented in the country.
Dr Grace Nambatya, Director of Chemotherapeutics Research Laboratories, says a memorandum of understanding with the Ayurveda Group is in the offing.
“I know and approve of what these people are doing. We are in touch and I have been referring some patients to them.
“I do appreciate that Indians are advanced in this area and are organized. We shall give the necessary support because they will promote the advancement of herbal medicine for our benefit,” Dr Nambatya.
Dr Abbas Shihab, a graduate from India with a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (B.A.M.S) says they study anatomy, physiology, pathology and carry out diagnosis, investigations with conventional methods including laboratory investigations, X-ray, CT scans and MRIs but offer Ayurvedic medicine to the patients.
“We use special oils with powder or paste to make our medicines which are in form of tablets and capsules. We also make an effective mosquito repellent using the herbs available in Uganda,” he says.
At the clinic, there is a specialized wooden steam bath where patients sit on a chair but keep their heads out.
“A human head is delicate. It is not supposed to get exposed to high temperatures for more than 10 minutes. That is why our steam bath is made in such a way while the rest of the body is submerged in the box,” Dr Shihab says.
The other common diseases handled at the clinic include joint, back and neck pains, arthritis, sciatica, paralysis, spine and disc related problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, allergies, asthma, sinusitis and stress.
The clinic also manages cancer and HIV/AIDS problems and offers various types of massage (rejuvenated, general and medicated bath) plus healthcare programmes such as rejuvenation therapy, relaxation stress management, slimming, body purification and immunization/ longevity treatments.
Testimony
Princess Rosemary Kirungyi, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for more than three decades, attests to the healing powers of the Ayurvedic treatment.“When I first visited the AyurHome and consulted Dr Shihab, he, unlike others I had visited, promised to cure my rheumatoid arthritis completely. He advised that since I had spent long with the condition, I should use both the conventional medicine and Ayurvedic treatment.”Another beneficiary is Susan Uzoigwe of Travelog Ltd, who says when she visited the AyurHome Clinic with neck and back problems, she was given a herbal massage treatment and advised to do some exercises. With the rejuvenation therapy, she has since reduced her weight from 99kgs to 84kgs.
Yet, AyurHome wasn’t the pioneer in this field. Years ago when Dr Nambatya, the first Ugandan woman with a PhD in medicinal chemistry, started a campaign to promote herbal medicine in the country, she was, according to local media reports, “looked at with suspicion and shunned as a witch”.
At the time, Ugandans had little knowledge about the use or effectiveness of herbal or traditional medicine which, according to medical reports, was developed in India centuries ago.
Today, Dr Nambatya is a leading researcher and promoter of herbal medicine and, together with the Indian research experts, she hopes to empower local communities with income-generating projects like organic farming to produce the essential herbs.
Source:The Observer
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