00:00Do young people think about Abba medicine today?
00:03In my religion, it is Sunnah for you to even take herbal medicine.
00:07Habba Tisaudah, the black seed, like the funnigreek, that's the gulba.
00:12Some of them are almost from the Islamic something.
00:15Surprisingly, many young people are not abandoning it.
00:18I had serious malaria.
00:20My mom, because she believed in it, a friend just came and said,
00:23okay, please just mix Abba Tisaudah, Tazelgadi and honey for him.
00:27So after the mixture with some medication, with leaves, some leaves,
00:31she boiled everything and added it to me together and I was okay.
00:35I would not choose Abba medicine over conventional medicine,
00:40but then I use Abba medicine.
00:42Some are using it, some are questioning it.
00:46It's not that the medicine is not working, the medicine is working,
00:50but it needs a prescription and for you to prescribe a medicine,
00:54it has to go on certain processes.
00:58For generations, traditional medicine has remained part of healthcare
01:03across Northern Nigeria.
01:06According to the World Health Organization,
01:09nearly 80% of Nigerians use traditional medicine.
01:14I am in Kano State, Nigeria, to better understand why this ancient practice still exists.
01:23So let's go to Kumi Market.
01:26Yeah, so you were born into this business and you've seen your parents doing it.
01:30Now, I want to know, what does it take to be an Islamic and traditional medicine practitioner?
01:38Firstly, if a person wants to start this business,
01:41they are expected to inherit the practice or go to school to learn how to practice traditional herbal medicine.
01:49There are schools that provide education in Islamic medicine.
01:54They teach people how to gain medical knowledge and how to learn from people in the field.
02:02Like from us who have 20 years of experience or others who have more than 40 years of experience.
02:10For many practitioners here, healing is not only physical, it is deeply connected to faith.
02:17Some Islamic healers use forms of prophetic medicine known as Al-Tib Al-Nabawi,
02:25including Black Seed, Oni and Ijama, also known as Kupin Therapy.
02:32Now, for many patients, trust in the healer is closely tied to trust in religion.
02:39I personally don't like hospitals, so this question, I prefer migraines, honestly.
02:45I don't like hospitals.
02:46In this 21st century, we have a lot of hospitals.
02:50Why do you think Nigerians, I mean 80% of us, still believe in herbal medicine?
02:59Because our beloved prophet Muhammad taught us about healing and medical knowledge and other related stuff.
03:05That is why we relate to these practices and have experience in them.
03:11And sometimes even getting medication, going to hospital.
03:14You might need to buy a hospital card, then they will write a prescription for you.
03:18They will take blood samples, all of that.
03:21You will spend a lot of money.
03:24But when a patient comes to us, from the way they explain their problems, such as back pain or any
03:29other illness,
03:30then we will prescribe medicine at a minimal cost.
03:35But this growing industry also faces criticism.
03:40Medical experts warn about fake healers, wrong dosage, and dangerous claims.
03:46There are also some dangers attached to, you know, taking some of these herbal medicines.
03:52Because some of them, they just know, okay, it's easy to get.
03:56It's in the forest, you can grow it and all of that.
04:00So they mix whatever they can, saying, okay, it's trees.
04:03Nothing can go wrong, right?
04:04Yeah, but I just feel like there should be a regulatory body that would tell that these people are doing
04:09the right thing.
04:10They're putting out the right stuff out there, you know.
04:12In Kano's ancient market, herbal medicine is more than just business.
04:18For some, it's culture and also.
04:20For others, it fits.
04:23And for many families here, it remains one of the most accessible forms of healthcare.
04:29But as the younger generation step into this centuries old practice, bigger questions remain.
04:37Who regulate it?
04:38Who protect patients?
04:41And lastly, can traditional medicine truly evolve alongside modern medicine?
04:47My name is Samson Adeleke.
04:50Keep following DW The 77%.
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