In the search for cures and wholeness today, research is more and more placing the searchlight on natural therapeutic substances that hold the potential of a reduced or no side-effects for humans, animals and the environment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been in the front line in encouraging the use of safe and accessible medicinal plants to maintain optimum health and treat diseases.

While much research has gone into some herbs, there are still many herbs, used in many traditional societies to successfully treat various conditions and maintain optimal health, which are rarely heard about. In this course, we shall be discussing one of those herbs. Vernonia amygdalina. Vernonia amygdalina has been used for centuries in various parts of Africa to address numerous diseases such as fever, body pain, liver, heart and kidney diseases, obesity, high cholesterol, cancers, infections etc.

In this course, we shall present the age old use of the Vernonia amygdalina herb, in addition to the scientific research that has gone into trying to further establish how and why this herb has been successfully used for centuries to treat ailments across Africa.

Africa is so rich in traditional medicine and the WHO estimates that the first-treatment choice for the healthcare of approximately 80% of people living in the region is dependent on herbal remedies. Apparently, the world might have a a thing or two to learn from Africa as far as traditional medicine is concerned.