HERBAL MEDICINE AND PHARMACEUTICALS (INTERVIEW WITH PROF. NOEL N. WANNANG)




Titles & Position:

Prof. Noel N. Wannang, a Pharmacologist and Toxicologist, is the Lead Researcher, Plateau State Research Team on COVID-19 & Other Infectious Diseases.

He is also the Director of General Studies University of Jos & Secretary General of West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacists.

Current Work:

In his words, Prof. Noel N. Wannang said COVID-19 turned out to be a blessing to mankind because a lot of people took things for granted as there were several things that were not done. For example, when his team was inaugurated to provide a cure for the ravaging COVID-19, they began on the conventional drugs and repurposed some these drugs into six different categories ranging from mild asymptomatic (that is, showing no symptoms at all) to severe instances with other comorbidities (having multiple medical conditions at the same time); whereas, their cardinal work was to investigate on plants that have antiviral properties. This is due to the fact that in Plateau and Africa at large, the resources available for these are so endless as there are lots of phytochemical materials which are also potent when it comes to therapeutic (healing of disease).

Subsequently, they went into Herbal search, conducted In Silico studies (a study performed on computer or via computer simulation) and obtained an array of about a 100 different plant materials taking into consideration the phytochemical properties of these plants. Eventually, 13 plants with excellent antiviral properties were selected. These 13 plants were further subjected to other anal ysis and it was discovered that 10 of them could be used in the treatment of microbes including viruses such as COVID.

Combinatorial analysis were carried out of the 10 plants, and the team came out with 3 combinations of agents that could be used for the treatment. Another formulation called Netizen, which can be used as herbal tea was also discovered.

Currently, they are on ‘phase-one’ clinical trials. They simulated COVID-19 because the isolation of COVID-19 is not possible. This is due to the changing knowledge and information about it. However, experiments have been carried out to see the possibilities of the plants on COVID-19 individually and in the combinations that they’ve done.

A lot of people are not wealthy and they treat themselves using the knowledge of herbal medicines because modern pharmaceuticals are very expensive. We have often taught that herbal products are unsophisticated and that is wrongly part of our culture.

Drug discovery (is purely a pharmaceutical business) goes way back to the time of creation. Right from the beginning of creation, there have been humans and there have also been illnesses. What did they use in treating their ailments? & yet those people live so long. There are several quotations and citations in the Bible where herbs have been used to heal mankind. And if this is so, it means along the line, we missed it!

A good number of drugs today in modern word are from the Herbal remedies. For instance, Digitalis Purpurea and Digitalis Lanata are the only source of Digoxin and Digoxin is the main drug which is used till today in conventional hospitals in the treatment of artrial fibrillation (orcongestive heart failure). Again, the alkaloids Vincristine, Vinblastine are gotten from a plant Catharanthus Roseus and are the only drugs used for the treatment of Leukemia. Quinine is gotten from the Cinchona plant, Artemisia vulgaris is the plant used in the treatment of malaria, and the list is endless. Invariably, more than 70% of the modern day drugs are obtained from herbal remedies.

However, the challenge is that herbal remedies are being misconcepted to be those traditional herbalists who are illiterates, walking the streets, selling herbs in paper bags and animal skins. But herbal medicine in the modern era is much more than that. It is fully scientific and involves plants isolating phytochemical materials.

If there can be a collaboration from the industries, academia, political will, etc. then a bridge that will be of maximum benefit to mankind can be created. The pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria suffers suppression. Nigeria has over 470 pharmaceutical industries and less than 70 are local manufacturers and just of these 70 industries are W.H.O certified. This goes to say that something is wrong. Also, the local manufacturers are actually not manufacturers, they are ‘compounders’ because 100% of their raw materials are imported; meaning they just import and mix. We should encourage the manufacture of raw materials in Nigeria.

If we come to terms to agree that each life is useful and meaningful, if we also come to terms to agree that we can develop the solution to each of these problems, we can surmount the problems in terms of health, job production, research, etc.

On COVID-19, unfortunately, there seem to be an imbalance between politics and science. Perhaps the politics overwhelmed the science and the scientific world became confused hence the patients became the punching bags of the two debates.

Plants existed before synthetic drugs. People have been using herbs to treat various illnesses. Plants should be the orthodox and synthetic drugs should be the alternative because they came later. But unfortunately, reverse is the case. When civilization came, it turned everything around. In comparison, synthetic drugs have more side effects than herbs. Herbs are natural and they have medicinal values. Rightly put, we are using herbal medicines everyday unknown to us. The vegetables we eat are herbs.

You can watch the video clip here:














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