Tema-based herbalist, Romeo Tsegah, has encouraged the public to keep patronizing the local herbs to cure diseases as the potency of these traditional medicines cannot be overemphasized.

 

Most local herbs brought from the Northern and other parts of the country have gone through traditional potency purification in Ghana; “there is no disease which could not be cured by the local herbs because God had made provisions for all that during the beginning of creation”.

 

Herbalist Tsegah stated, "the Almighty God created the trees and plants and instructed that the fruits be used for food whereas the leaves and stem for medicine and that is exactly what the herbalists are doing".

 

In an interview in Tema, Herbalist Tsegah denied the speculations of the serious side effects local herbs gave to the human organs, especially to the kidney and liver due to lack of measurements.

 

He hinted "there is a measurement given out when purchasing the local herbs just as that of the foreign medicines, and can also be abused just like the foreign medicines.

 

"But the side effects that come with abusing the foreign medicines are more dangerous than that of the local herbs," he added.

 

Herbalist Tsegah explained that foreign medicines were filled with chemicals and had been processed, whereas the local herbs were more natural and healthier for the human body.

 

He stated that the local herbs were an integral part of the medical care system of the country and urged that it is opted for if needed for treatment.

 

"These local herbs are exported to some foreign countries for use by the same people who bring us the chemical medicines for treatments, and that should tell you how powerful our herbs are but we think those foreign medicines are part of modernization, neglecting what God has given to us naturally," he said.

 

The Herbalist emphasized that resorting to traditional ways of curing diseases was not an outmoded method but rather, a way of appreciating nature.

 

He advised, "we were made from nature and from that same nature, we should not only eat from but rather, be treated from and should not opt for the processed chemicals which would cause us more harm than good".

 

However, Herbalist Tsegah entreated that local clay pots should be used in the preparation of the herbs as it was also naturally made from the ground to make treatment more effective.

 

"Local herbs are not just used to cure diseases but can also be used as a medium for personal protection and a means for prayer," he raised.