ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF PLANTS USED TO TREAT ASTHMA IN THE MARITIME REGION IN TOGO.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in modern society and it is evident that its incidence and severity are increasing, however very little is known about the plants used in the management of the disease. This study therefore aimed to document the plants usage in the Togolese traditional medicine to treat asthma. METHODOLOGY: From January to June 2015, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire with traditional healers (THs) in the southern region of Togo. The importance of the plants species was assessed by the calculated use values. RESULTS: In Total, 121 THs (92 males and 29 females) were interviewed and 98 plants species belonging to 54 families were identified as curing asthma. The most represented families were: Leguminosae with 7 species followed by Euphorbiaceae and Rutaceae contributing with 6 and 5 species respectively. Based on the calculated use values the most important species were Carcica papaya L., Cataranthus roseus L., Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh., Piper guineense Thonn., Eucalyptus citriodora Hook., Eucalyptus globules Labill. and Euphorbia hirta L. The leaves and the root were the parts predominantly used to prepare the formulations, mainly decoctions, administrated by oral route. Clinical manifestations such as wheezing (91.74%), difficulty as speaking or coughing (73.55%), dyspnea (66.94%), dry cough (52.89%), sweating and increased heart rate (52.07%) were used by TH to diagnose the disease. CONCLUSION: This study showed initial evidence of the use of plant materials by Togolese TH to heal asthma. These results could be a starting point for laboratory screenings.

The role of traditional healers in the diagnosis and management of Burkitt lymphoma in Cameroon: understanding the challenges and moving forward.

BACKGROUND: Burkittlymphoma(BL) is the most common childhood cancer in Cameroon with a reported incidence of 3 per 100,000 children under 15 years in the Northwest region. Treatment at three Baptist mission hospitals has a recorded cure rate of over 50%. Traditional medicine(TM) is recognized by the national health system, but its scope is undefined and entraps children with BL. The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes and practices of parents and traditional healers (TH) towards TM in children with BL in order to develop recommendations for an integrative approach and improved access to life-saving treatment for children with BL. METHODS: This is a descriptive case series of children diagnosed with BL treated at Banso, Mbingo, and Mutengene Baptist Hospitals between 2003 and 2014. A questionnaire was used to obtain the following information: demographic information, religion, the rate of use of TM, reasons why guardians chose to use TM, the diagnoses made by the TH, treatment offered, and the type of payment requested, based on the accounts of patient caregivers. Data was analyzed using Center for Disease Control Epi Info 7. RESULTS: Three hundred eighty-seven questionnaires were completed by parents/guardians. 55% had consulted a TH, of whom 76.1% consulted the TH as first choice. Common diagnoses provided by TH included liver problem, abscess, witchcraft, poison, hernia, side pain, mushroom in the belly and toothache. Methods of management included massage, cuts, concoctions, and incantations. The fee for these services included chickens, farm tools, and cash ranging from 200FCFA (0.4USD) to 100,000FCFA(200USD). The choice of TM was based on accessibility, failed clinic/hospital attendance, recommendation of relatives, and belief in TM. CONCLUSIONS: TH are involved in BL management in Cameroon. TH are ignorant about BL, resulting in non-referral, and thus delay in diagnosis and treatment. Collaboration with TH could reduce late diagnosis and improve cure rates of BL and other childhood cancers.

Doença de feitiço, ações terapêuticas e os percursos de cura nos terreiros de umbanda e candomblé em Macapá-AP / Spell disease, therapeutic actions and healing pathways in umbanda and candomblé terrariums in Macapá-AP

Esta etnografia trata de uma modalidade de adoecimento físico-psíquico conhecido como doença de feitiço. Tem por objetivo compreender a dinâmica desse modo de adoecer a partir das narrativas de pessoas que se dizem afetadas por esse mal e de que modo os curandeiros concebem e tratam a doença a partir de suas experiências espirituais de acordo com uma lógica própria centrada nos terreiros de umbanda e candomblé na cidade de Macapá-AP. Proponho uma análise das diversas formas de manifestação desse fenômeno tomando como chave de leitura analítica a concepção cosmológica do universo amazônico seus itinerários terapêuticos e os tipos de rituais de cura acionados no decorrer do tratamento. O material etnográfico aqui descrito e analisado foi obtido durante a pesquisa de campo (entrevistas em profundidade e observação participante) no período entre 2013 e 2015 na cidade de Macapá- AP. Verifica-se que a crença no feitiço está no cerne de um sistema cosmológico que admite a atuação de forças ocultas em suas diferentes formas de agir na vida cotidiana individual ou coletiva. Meus dados etnográficos indicam que o feitiço é uma crença reguladora da vida amazônica e que mesmo diante das demandas da vida moderna impelida pela racionalidade médico-cientifica seu poder de interferência no cotidiano é gerido pela crença na existência de doenças não naturais não explicadas pela ciência médica. Não obstante o intenso fluxo de informações preventivas e a implementação de modelos curativos e de cuidados em saúde capazes de responder às diversas doenças presente da vida moderna não foram suficientes para suprimir as ideias e os valores culturais desses indivíduos que adotam as concepções e práticas tradicionais de cura associadas ou não aos novos métodos mesmo no contexto urbano.(AU)

This ethnography deals with a form of physical-psychic illness known as spell disease. Its purpose is to understand the dynamics of this way of getting sick from the narratives of people who are said to be affected by this evil and how the healers conceive and treat the disease from their spiritual experiences according to their own logic centered in the terreiros of Umbanda and candomblé in the city of Macapá-AP. I propose an analysis of the various forms of manifestation of this phenomenon taking as a key analytical reading the cosmological conception of the Amazonian universe its therapeutic itineraries and the types of healing rituals triggered during the treatment. The ethnographic material described and analyzed here was obtained during field research (in-depth interviews and participant observation) in the period between 2013 and 2015 in the city of Macapá-AP. It turns out that belief in the spell is at the core of a cosmological system that admits the performance of hidden forces in their different ways of acting in daily life individual or collective. My ethnographic data indicate that the spell is a regulating belief in Amazonian life and that even in the face of the demands of modern life impelled by medical-scientific rationality, its power of interference in daily life is governed by the belief in the existence of unnatural diseases not explained by medical science . Despite the intense flow of preventive information and the implementation of curative and health care models capable of responding to the various diseases present in modern life they were not enough to suppress the ideas and cultural values ​​of these individuals adopting the traditional.(AU)

Explanatory models of mental disorders and treatment practices among traditional healers in Mpumulanga, South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: In many traditional belief systems in Africa, including South Africa, mental health problems may be attributed to the influence of ancestors or to bewitchment. Traditional healers are viewed as having the expertise to address these causes. However, there is limited information on their explanatory models and consequent treatment practices. The present study examines traditional healers' explanatory models (EMs) and treatment practices for psychotic and non-psychotic mental illnesses. METHOD: 4 focus group discussions (8 healers in each group) and 18 in-depth interviews were conducted. Four vignettes were presented (schizophrenia, depression, panic and somatisation) and traditional healers' views on the nature of the problem, cause, consequence, treatment and patient expectations were elicited. RESULTS: Traditional healers held multiple explanatory models for psychotic and non-psychotic disorders. Psychotic illnesses appear to be the main exemplar of mental illness and were treated with traditional medicine, while nonpsychotic illnesses were not viewed as a mental illness at all. Additionally, traditional healers do not only use herbs and substances solely from "traditional" sources but rather have incorporated into their treatment practices modern ingredients that are potentially toxic. CONCLUSION: Interventions aimed at increasing the mental health literacy of traditional healers are essential. In addition, investigations of the effectiveness of traditional healer treatment for psychiatric disorders should be conducted.