Abstract:

Nigeria has one of the most varied ecosystems and expanse bio-resources and biodiversity. Its biodiversity is an important source of food, medicines and natural products. The natural products form the basis for varied traditional medicine systems that have been in existence and sustained the people for thousands of years. The traditional medicine practices of Nigeria are as diverse as the people of Nigeria which is made up of more than 300 ethnic communities.

The traditional medicine practice systems of Nigeria is bedevilled with the double throng challenges of inadequate documentation and lack of clinical evidence bases for use since their uses by many cultures have not been properly and extensively documented, and various practice centres fall short of meeting the basic standard requirement for clinical practice. It is right therefore to point out that the wealth of Nigeria’s traditional medicine knowledge and its associated rich practices lack structured evidence based systems to support clinical claim for integration into the mainstream health system. In this regard, only a few if any such as the PAX herbal clinic is a model for emulation.

This shortcoming is quite critical if we consider that Nigerian Traditional Medicine systems and medicines play vital roles in the healthcare delivery of the people especially at the level of primary healthcare. Also, that it is a vital source of natural product leads for the development of the most effective drugs for the treatment/management of a variety of human ailments. The import of this shortcoming becomes glaring if we reflect on the report pointing out that the global trend for incorporation of traditional medicine into health systems was on the increase globally. And also that such use is in the light of chronic ailments which conventional medicine is incapable of treating.

This paper will attempt to discuss the critical challenge of integrative medicine –herbal medicine at the crossroad of clinical practice in Nigeria- in a quest for a mainstream strategy for acquiring evidence bases and translation of Nigerian Traditional medicines to clinical care.

Key words: Herbal Medicine, Traditional Nigerian Medicine, Translational Medicine, Clinical Research

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