Let’s promote use of plant medicine for treatment

Dr. Osei Opoku, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Boafoa Herbal Centre has also added his voice and called on government and other stakeholders into plant medicine to help promote the use of plant medicine for disease treatment in Ghana.

According to him, saving the country’s medicinal plant resources vis-à-vis promoting the use of plant medicines for the treatment of diseases needs an effective, sustainable and coordinated strategy.

He disclosed that, unregulated exploitation of the country’s bio-resources, environmental degradation, and deforestation, uncontrolled burning and poor agriculture practices have been a major threat to the survival of medicinal plant species.

To him, the importance of traditional medicine in providing primary health care cannot be underestimated considering its economic as well as cultural preferences to the Ghanaian; hence all hands must be on deck.

Dr. Opoku made the disclosure in an interview when he thrown light on the launch of Boafoa Bitters, a new product added to the already known Boafoa cream, soap and ointment.

The product has the ethnomedical uses for treatment of piles, fibroid, menstrual disorders and lack of appetite, sexual weakness.

In large part, the CEO of Boafoa Herbal Centre mentioned that, this resistance stems from the primary philosophical distinctions between conventional medicine, which is based on the results of experiments and views illness as a result of pathological agents, and traditional medicine, which accepts that disease can have supernatural and imbalance between body, mind and soul.

Notwithstanding, Dr. Opoku continued that, traditional medicine remains the main source of health care for most rural populations not only in Ghana but Africa, hence the need for government and other stakeholders in the sector to create enabling environment for businesses to strive.

According to him, the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of diseases dates back to antiquity through a combination of instinct, observation, taste, experience, ancient men and women treated illness by using plants, animal parts and minerals that were not part of their usual diet.

Boafo Herbal Centre, Dr. Opoku reiterated that, he started the business at Akyem-Akwatia in the Denkyembo district of the Eastern Region from his bed room.

The company which was started seven (7) years ago with only five (5) workers but can now boast of over 200 people directly and indirectly has contributed its widow’s mite towards development of the nation.

He explained that, getting market for Boafoa ointment, first product of the company assumed a difficult task since the product was less known among the already established brands on the market.

To this, instead of selling the product in and around Akyem-Akwatia, he travelled all the way to Asesewa in the Upper Manya district, he largest market base to sell. It has since moved from the Akyem-Akwatia based to Koforidua, the capital of the Eastern Region.

According to him, he nearly thrown in the towel to the business when things were very difficult particularly access to soft loans for expansion of the business but overcame that threat through determination and perseverance.

Talking about how the name Boafoa was settle on, Dr. Opoku stressed that, the company was using power ointment until the ointment was used to restore the eyes of a young girl at Agogo in the Yilo Manya Municipality.

It was at this time when the granny of the young girl said the ointment has come to help them so instead of power ointment they should called it Boafoa to wit the helper.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Regional Chairman of Ghana National Association of Traditional Healers Association, Mr. Kingsley Yaw Nkansah, urged government to do more to support herbal medicine production to help create jobs and generate foreign income for the country. “Worldwide, many countries are shifting attention to herbal medicine due to its efficacy”. He said

According to him, herbal medicine has the potential of helping minimize the unemployment rate in the country by providing both direct and indirect job opportunities for the unemployed youth in the country He therefore, urged government to make available flexible loan and credit facility to the herbal practitioners to enable them expand production and modernize packaging and also help embark on research into herbal medicine.

He, however, commended government for sourcing funds for the Council for Technical and Vocational Education Training to train herbal medicine practitioners in the country adding that government can do more to support the sector.

He said this during the launching of Boafoa Bitters, a product by Boafoa Herbal Centre in Koforidua. He called on herbal practitioners to adhere to regulations during preparation and production of herbal medicine to meet international standard as the association eyes the international market.

He called on Ghanaians to patronize made in Ghana goods to help Ghanaian entrepreneurs to expand production to create more jobs.