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- TEPA MEDICINAL
FARM
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Medicinal herbs
are plants that are used for medicinal purposes. Other types of herbs
include culinary herbs, used to flavor food, and aromatic herbs, used to add
fragrance. Medicinal herbs cover a wide range of types of plants. They can
be annuals or perennials; woody or herbaceous; sun loving or shade
requiring. The parts of the plants used for medicine may be their leaves,
flowers, roots, seeds or bark. What puts medicinal herbs together in a
category is their use in healing. Plants have been used by humans and
animals for medicine for many hundreds of years.
Scientific testing of soil of main farm land
According to the
World Health Organization, traditional medicine refers to health practices,
approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral
based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises,
applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent
illnesses or maintain well-being.
Countries in
Africa, Asia and Latin America use traditional medicine (TM) to help meet
some of their primary health care needs. In Africa, up to 80% of the
population uses traditional medicine for primary health care. In
industrialized countries, adaptations of traditional medicine are termed
“Complementary“ or “Alternative” (CAM).
TM has maintained
its popularity in all regions of the developing world and its use is rapidly
spreading in industrialized countries.
In China,
traditional herbal preparations account for 30%-50% of the total medicinal
consumption.
Moringa
Oleifera
In Ghana, Mali,
Nigeria and Zambia, the first line of treatment for 60% of children with
high fever resulting from malaria is the use of herbal medicines at home.
WHO estimates that in several African countries traditional birth attendants
assist in the majority of births. In Europe, North America and other
industrialized regions, over 50% of the population have used complementary
or alternative medicine at least once. In San Francisco, London and South
Africa, 75% of people living with HIV/AIDS use TM/CAM. 70% of the population
in Canada have used complementary medicine at least once. In Germany, 90% of
the population have used a natural remedy at some point in their life.
First
Farm Station almost completed for operations
Between 1995 and
2000, the number of doctors who had undergone special training in natural
remedy medicine had almost doubled to 10 800. In the United States, 158
million of the adult population use complementary medicines and according to
the USA Commission for Alternative and Complementary medicines, US $17
billion was spent on traditional remedies in 2000. In the United Kingdom,
annual expenditure on alternative medicine is US$ 230 million. The global
market for herbal medicines currently stands at over US $ 60 billion
annually and is growing steadily.
Partial
front view of first station under construction on main farm land
The Government of
Ghana like many other African countries encourages the practice of
traditional medicine side by side with conventional medicine. Traditional
Medicine plays an important cultural and economic role in poverty
alleviation, particularly through the involvement of fetish priests - people
of significant status in villages throughout the country. Appreciation of
the importance of medicinal plants at government level is increasing, and
government policy now promotes the integration of traditional health systems
with conventional health systems. An indication of the importance ascribed
to medicinal plants is given by the existence within the Ministry of Health
of a Director for Traditional Medicine.
Recently, there
are claims by several healers of possession of medicinal therapy for the
treatment of HIV/AIDS. However, since such claims have not been tested
because of lack of funds for scientific research and validation, one cannot
be certain of these claims.
Partial
side view of first station under construction on main farm land
Africa First has commenced operations on a 120-acres
virgin farm land and a 9-plots land (for administration and operations) at Tepa
Ahafo-Ano, in the tropical forest and mining area of Ashanti Region of the
Republic of Ghana, for the propagation, cultivation, processing and marketing of
medicinal plants and natural product chemistry. The project has easy
access to very good road system which connects with every part of the country
and the outside world.
Moringa plants flourishing
on the main farm land
One important segment of the project is that it will network with local
traditional herbalists, botanists, agriculturists,
conventional
medical practitioners
and relevant bio-medical institutions within Ghana and overseas in applying
both indigenous knowledge and scientific technology
for the affordable manufacture and maximum utilization of plant medicines.
Tepa Youth Development
Association needs financial and logistical support from well-wishers to achieve
its developmental goals.
The project shall
have a special
nursery segment to ensure that important plant species and trees of medicinal
and commercial value now threatened around the world by over-exploitation and
other forces, are planted and protected from total extinction.
- Africa
First is not only engaged in farming but is actively working with
and supporting the Tepa Youth
Development
Association and other
- local
organizations to empower the inhabitants towards social advancement and to keep the town
and surroundings clean and sanitary.
The project will run a greenhouse and laboratory for education and
scientific research into natural drug discovery.
The project will also embark on the following:
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1. develop a
sustainable production system that is environmentally friendly,
profitable, and benefits society.
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2. improve the
quality of life for the families that reside within the community where
the project is located.
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3. create a
model farm to train farmers about organic production of medicinal plants
and sustainable forest management.
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4. use the
activities developed in the eco-farm and its natural resources for
biodiversity and environmental education.
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