Chukwuma Muanya’s Book Validates Local foods As Medicines 

 

A new book, Herbal Spices: Local Foods as Medicines by Chukwuma Muanya, has idenfied and validated local foods that could be used in treating common ailments. Many health experts, nutritionists and academia in pharmacognosy have hailed the book as a timely and timeless offering from the former Deputy Editor (Health) of The Guardian, Lagos who recently left to set up consultancy in the health field. This book is his first offering as he prepares to release volume two in the near future.

A pharmacognocist at the University of Lagos and advocate of herbal medicine, Prof. Olukemi Odukoya, in a foreword to the book said the emerging recognition among health professionals is that food plays not just supplemental but a central role in the health of people globally. According to her, “It is therefore necessary to study our local foods and traditional diets to promote the wellbeing of the populace through reading of this book, Herbal Spices: Local Foods as Medicines…., as a song without end. The present book of 10 chapters is Volume One. It is the beginning of the song contributing to a comprehensive coverage of the needs to achieve radiant health and longevity at affordable costs. The reader will benefit greatly from the primary benefits of eating local foods.”

Odukoya further argues that “the book is a compendium of practical activities for you to try out. It is for everyone. It also answers every question that a student of herbal medicine and nutrition could possibly want to ask. I enjoyed reading the book and I really hope that you find it very useful as a household song.”

In Herbal Spices: Local Foods as Medicines, the author, Chukwuma Muanya, has unveiled evidence-based and scientifically authenticated herbal remedies for chronic diseases. With the foods outlined in the book, he shows how he has been able to prevent and treat common sickness in Nigeria such as malaria, typhoid fever, hepatitis, toothache, Staphylococcus aureus, premature ejaculation, low libido in men and women, erectile dysfunction, fibroids, prostate enlargement, ulcer, Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), cancers, hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, diarrhoea, infertility, tuberculosis, cold, cough, catarrh, haemorrhoid and pile, among others with herbs.

Muanya is a conventional herbalist, a pharmacognocist, researcher, science and health writer, and media consultant and CEO of CAMS DIAMONDS Nigeria Limited. Muanya holds a BSc in Botany and MSc in Pharmacognosy from the University of Lagos. He has researched and made publications, with contributions from relevant medical experts on herbal cures for common ailments for more than 25 years. The 178-page book was published by EPH Business Network Limited.

Chukwuma Muanya

According to the author and seasoned journalist, poor diet is the leading cause of bad health, and accounts for many more deaths than alcohol and drug abuse, according to the food and herbal expert, ading, “food is not only to fulfill the appetite. It is more than that. It gives a sense of being. It is a major part of our heritage and our culture. A little attention regarding the benefits of the foods we eat can give a better life, and eventually lead to the enjoyment of health, wellbeing and wealth!”

‘Let Food Be the Medicine and Let Medicine Be the Food! This apt saying about the interrelationship between food and medicine attributed to the father of medicine, Hippocrates (460-357-BC), is an excellent testimoney about the immense benefits and appropriateness of Muanya’s book, especially with the economic crunch Nigeria is currently steeped where medicines have been priced out of the reach of a majority of citizens. The first part of Hippocrates’ sentence (Let Food be the Medicine) is for the sick, while the latter (Let Medicine be the Food) is for the healthy, those who are yet to fall sick. For the sick, positive natural foods are the true natural drugs and not synthetic drugs, because of adverse side effects. For the healthy, natural foods are the means of fighting diseases from gaining entrance to the body. Therefore, the philosophy behind Hippocrates’ saying is to focus on preventing diseases by eating local foods.

A major thesis of Muanya’s book is that many Nigerians are suffering one ailment or the other due to changes in lifestyle, especially the food they eat. Cancers and other Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol level, stroke, and kidney damage are on the prowl. Healthcare has become unaffordable. Conventional medicines are failing, especially due to growing resistance of disease-causing organisms to the drugs-of-choice. Not to mention the aspect of rise in adverse drug reaction, treatment failure, and fake and adulterated medicines.

Muanya said what motivated him to write the book is the huge knowledge gap he noticed in evidence-based preventive medicine in Nigeria and indeed all over the world, adding, “This book will guide you on what to do to prevent most diseases, cure some and ameliorate others,” he said.

Muanya’s book has enjoyed the endorsement of many professors of pharmacy and business moguls, including Professor of Pharmacy and Director General of Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), Martins Emeje, Prof. MacDonald Idu of the Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Dr. Joy Odimegwu of Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Lagos, former Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief, The Guardian, Mr. Eluem Emeka Izeze, CEO of Clean Serve Energy and former Managing Director of ArikAir, Chief Chris Ndulue, among others.

Izeze said with Herbal Spices: Local Foods as Medicines, “everyone can take responsibility for his or her lifestyle” while Ndulue described the book as “a wholesome meal served fresh and hot by the master-dietician and natural health expert of our time.” Odimegwu also said the book “brings the age-old knowledge of herbal medicines into many homes,” while the book is a “great resource for herbalists, naturopaths, healthcare professionals,” according to Idu, as Emeje noted that the book “provides specific steps in preparing home remedies based on results of empirical research.”