Times Of Swaziland: ‘UMHLONYANE COULD BE SOLUTION’

‘UMHLONYANE COULD BE SOLUTION’
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BY SIBUSISO SHANGE on 08/05/2020 01:47:00


MBABANE - Bukhosi Zwane has challenged health practitioners to consider
researching about traditional herbs in this era of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zwane is the farmer who met with Dr Gugu Sibandze, a Researcher for Traditional
Medicine at the University of Eswatini.
The duo met at the Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Services last Monday
during the radio station’s morning breakfast show.
He asserted his firm beliefs that Artemisia afra also known as African wormwood
(umhlonyane) could play a vital role in the treatment of coronavirus symptoms.
However, he said his beliefs were not scientifically proven hence the need for
research so that a true position about the herb could be known.
Researches
“We have many health practitioners who studied medicine abroad; however, none
of them have bothered doing research about traditional plants. To me, this shows
that we are not doing enough as a country. What have our researchers done since
the outbreak?” he asked.
He likened the current situation to a third world war, which needed people to
join hands in the fight.
He stated that scientists would be in a position to either approve or dismiss
the use of the herb had they bothered to research about the plant.
He said as he locked himself in the house during the partial lockdown, he
recalled that serious flu, similar to the coronavirus, was not the first of its
kind in the country.
Zwane stated that he then recalled that in the ancient times, there were
illnesses which were treated with umhlonyane.
“I left my house to harvest the plant because I recalled that my parents used
it to relieve symptoms of flu and asthma. It worked best if added to warm water.
We used to drink or inhale it while soaked in warm water,” he said.
Zwane also claimed that the herb was used to deal with mosquitoes in the absence
of mosquito coils though some held the belief that it was used to treat malaria.
Zwane said isolation of people with flu was not a new idea. He stated that the
same used to happen during the treatment of flu during his youth.
“Government is doing the right thing by encouraging people to isolate or
quarantine if they are suspected to have the virus. Our parents used to isolate
us from other children when treating us for flu because it spreads easily,” he
said.
Concerned
He differed from Dr Sibandze, who advised that umhlonyane should only be used if
one was sick. Zwane stated that as far as he was concerned, the herb should be
used regularly so that the virus could not get a chance to invade the body.
His argument was that the virus could stay for about four days without any
symptoms showing.
He claimed the more people drank the herb, the fewer chances they would contract
the virus.
The farmer spoke about another plant known as lippia javanica (umsutane), which
he said also needed researchers for proof of its sanitising power.
According to Zwane, the plant could be used as a sanitiser. It is his belief
that the plant could kill germs and viruses if used in water. “My belief is
that anything that has smell and alcohol could be used as a sanitiser, however,
my opinion is subject to verification by proper research. It was not by mistake
that our fore-fathers used the plant to wash hands after attending funerals.
Some people still believe that washing hands with the plant is a ritual yet it
is meant for hygiene,” he said.
He added that sharing his knowledge was not about the sale of the plant but
encouraging health practitioners to conduct research about it.
Zwane shared his knowledge after Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina endorsed
Artemisia aunua, as a herb for relieving symptroms of COVID-19. Research has
shown that Artemisia aunua, which was sourced from Mainland China, in the 1970s
for the treatment of malaria, is the same species as umhlonyane.
In South Africa, they described umhlonyane as a multi-stemmed perennial that
grows up to two metres with aromatic, grey-green feathery leaves.
Indigenous
The South Africans believe that the plant is one of the oldest and best known of
all the indigenous medicines in southern Africa.
It is believed that the plant has diverse uses that should be considered as a
significant tonic in its own right.
They believe that the plant is used to treat symptoms of flu, sore throats,
coughs, asthma, pneumonia and headache. The herb is taken orally or inhaled as a
steam bath.
The South Africans also believe that the plant could be used to treat gastritis,
indigestion, poor appetite, flatulence and colic.
It is believed that the plant could also be used to treat diabetes, intestinal
worms, constipation and gout.
Normally, the plant grows naturally.