Herbs efficacy and affordability in treating “ailments of utmost native importance” in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

Traditional medicine is doing so much good in the treatment of ailments believed to be best handled with traditional medicine in Cross River State. Because we are very poor at documentation, many still contemplate the processes involved to be unbearable. This study, therefore sought to get clarifications about grey areas regarding the use of these traditional medical interventions. Personal interviews and structured questionnaire were used on former patients treated for such ailments. Sampling intensities of 81, 85, 90, 100 and 85% were respectively used to investigate dislocations/fractures, snake bite, partial stroke, pile, infertility and gynaecological problems. Respondent percentages of 76.67, 74.07, 83.33, 80.00 and 66.66 affirmed that the cost of treatment for each of the ailments were respectively cheap. Furthermore, 80.65%, 86.21%, 77.78%, 90.91% and 75.00% of them opined that the medicinal plant species used are very potent. Testing the perceptions of the respondents with chi-squared revealed that there were significant (P<0.05) differences for efficacious and cost of treatments, meaning that patients recovered very well and at a cheap cost at the time of their discharge. Residents of Cross River State and the general public of the investigated ailments, should take advantage of the treatments’ effectiveness and low cost and be treated accordingly.

Keywords: Trado-medical practitioners, ‘Ailments of utmost native importance’, Herbs efficacy and affordability