Prof. Merlin Lincoln Kwao Mensah, a Part-Time Associate Professor at the Department of Herbal Medicine at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology KNUST has added his voice to appeals for a herbal clinic and research center at KNUST.
He says the herbal department at the university does not have a herbal clinic and production unit; a situation he says is preventing “extensive herbal research and clinical work”
He passionately believes the time has come for government to step up and support the herbal medical industry as the world considers all possible means of dealing with COVID-19.
He also observed that, the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) lacks the modern equipment needed to do more clinical testing of herbal products; a situation he describes as very unpleasant for the herbal industry. He therefore called on the government to also make the Centre for Plant Medicine Research a priority and resource them to enable them undertake the necessary tests and clinical trials of herbal medications.
He believes if the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR)at Mampong are adequately resourced and retooled, Ghana will be in a better position to find a herbal based cure for COVID-19.
The President of Madagascar; Andry Rajoelina sometime last month announced that the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research for the country has developed herbal medicine to cure the virus.
Many Ghanaians and herbal medical practitioners have since called on the government to do more to support local herbal medical practitioners as there is great potential to find a cure for the COVID-19 through herbal medical research.
Prof. Merlin Lincoln Kwao Mensah stresses that the herbal industry has seen a significant growth in recent times and it is therefore important for the country to prioritize herbal research in order to improve the practice locally.
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