From increasing lactation in pregnant or nursing mothers to mending broken bones, many healing properties ascribed to parts of various trees have been documented in folklore and ingrained in various African tribes. In fact, before the inception of the pharmaceutical industry, traditional medicine in Africa not only formed the basis of medical research but also constituted the commercial means to cure various diseases such as cancers, psychiatric disorders, high blood pressure, cholera, most venereal diseases, epilepsy, asthma, eczema, fever, anxiety, depression, benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary tract infections, gout, wounds and burns.
Which trees form the basis of African traditional medicine? The following list will introduce you to five of these strange breeds and their medicinal properties.
Because Africans perceive the use of medicine not just as a drug to cure a disease but also as the means to poison and kill an enemy, you may be surprised to learn that several species have the power to help and harm mankind.
