Indigenous Methods of Processing Materia Medica among Selected Traditional Medical Practitioners in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

The study is aimed at bringing out the ways therapeutic medicines are processed among traditional medical practitioners in Ibadan, Nigeria. With the use of ethnographic methods to elicit information, the study investigates the aspects of preparations of medicinal ingredients to stimulate purposeful discussion on the need for an unbiased examination of the material, methods and techniques in the traditional medical practice, including compilation of native pharmacopoeia. Through rigorous and concerted study of the methods of processing medicinal ingredients, a more comprehensive account of traditional healers' contributions to the battle against diseases and maintenance of health and well- being are envisaged. The study, through practical demonstration reveals the methods of processing medicinal ingredients and their administrations. The understanding of the preparation of medicinal ingredients is fundamental to the understanding of the relevance of traditional medicine in the global health and development.