00:00 Timbia Gabambil is deworming his herd today.
00:09 The livestock farmer uses indigenous medicines and herbal remedies, all based on knowledge
00:14 passed down to him by his grandparents.
00:18 Here in Nakpasalugu in Ghana's Upper East Region, animals are vulnerable to diseases
00:23 like goat plague, livestock dysentery and parasitical infections that cause stomach
00:30 bloating.
00:31 "They have worms in their stomach that are making them sick.
00:36 So I have to get mahogany tree bark and mix that with other native herbs and give them
00:41 several doses over three days.
00:44 This mixture kills the worms."
00:49 This knowledge of the medicinal properties of plants and herbs is invaluable, both for
00:54 the region's farmers and their herds, and for researchers.
00:58 That's because Timbia Gabambil is part of a major interdisciplinary project to implement
01:03 ethno-veterinary medicine in Ghana.
01:09 At the Center for Plant Medicine Research in the town of Mampong Akwapem, not far from
01:14 the capital Accra, scientists are investigating the healing properties of native plants.
01:22 The government originally established the facility to provide alternative health care
01:27 to local people.
01:29 Now it's carrying out research into animal health.
01:36 But the laboratory here has been studying the chemical and pharmaceutical properties
01:41 of plants for some time now.
01:44 "Our focus was to look out for what is the chemistry of these plants, what is the biological
01:51 activities of these plants, and relate them with the diseases that these farmers or innovators
01:58 claim to be treating with."
02:02 In Ghana, 10 percent of livestock succumb to disease.
02:06 In a country with few trained veterinarians, farmers often rely on the advice of cattle
02:11 herders and other locals, who recommend medicines sold in open markets like this one.
02:17 The unregulated misuse and overuse of antibiotics can lead to high levels of antibiotic residues
02:23 in animal products, and it can encourage antibiotic resistance, which affects the health of both
02:29 livestock and people who consume animal products.
02:32 Meanwhile, 75 percent of livestock in Ghana are resistant to the antibiotics used to treat
02:39 them.
02:41 At the same time, many livestock owners don't trust herbal medicines, which aren't scientifically
02:47 tested and don't come with a company leaflet and packaging.
02:51 "Once we provide this information, where this project is aiming at, that would provide this
03:00 evidence that these herbal medicines work against the disease that we are studying,
03:07 we want to prove that these medicines or innovations are good."
03:12 If herbal treatments do become more accepted, sourcing these medicinal plants will also
03:17 be an issue.
03:19 In Ghana, there are sacred groves that are preserved for ceremonial reasons.
03:24 Local people often collect plants and herbs there for domestic use.
03:28 For indigenous botanist Nyaba James Oswald Amaligo, who's the project's lead consultant,
03:33 these groves are a treasure that could make a real difference to livestock farmers.
03:39 "That means now they can prepare in good quantities and can save more farmers so that they will
03:46 also help in the production of animals.
03:49 Therefore their wealth is going to increase because they will have a good number of their
03:53 animals alive and then they can sell and also make money."
03:57 As a participant in the project, Timbik Bambil no longer has to rely on the plants in the
04:02 forest.
04:03 The project gave him exclusive use of an herb garden.
04:07 He's one of a selected group of herbalists who are receiving support from the Ethno-Veterinary
04:12 Medicine Project.
04:14 On this protected patch of land, he's planting a variety of native plants, including mahogany
04:19 and oak trees and dawadawa.
04:22 "These plant species are hard to find.
04:27 There aren't any more of them nearby.
04:29 That's why the project is helping us to both plant and protect them, so that when we need
04:34 them they'll be easily available."
04:39 Native plant gardens are an eco-friendly source of medicines for traditional practitioners
04:44 like Timbik Bambil.
04:46 If this project catches on, Ghana could become a forerunner in ethno-veterinary medicine.
04:51 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments