AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE College of African Wildlife Management (CAWM)—Mweka has established a herb-garden for plants used as traditional remedies for various ailments including Covid-19, which now face depletion.
This follows increased use of certain herbs to combat Covid-19 but with little or no effort directed at planting the herbs, hence the danger of such plants not being available soon.
Dr Emmanuel Martin, the head of research, consultancy and postgraduate studies at the college said here yesterday that despite massive use of herbs, people were not sensitized to also plant the wild herbs used.
Apart from saving the herbs from disappearance, the garden will also help experts conduct research on the herbal plants, he said.
Dr Martin noted that despite studies showing that some herbs are effective in combating certain health conditions, there have been no real efforts in protecting and preserving the plants.
And with increased use of herbs during the pandemic, the situation worsened as demand exceeded supply and few institutions are aware of the need to invest in or sensitize the public on planting the herbs.
Herbal expert Never Mwambele said at the ceremony that the government needs to sensitize Tanzanians to plant herb-gardens not only for their use but to enable experts anywhere conduct surveys on availability of such plants.
“When people are encouraged to use herbs as remedies against diseases, they should also be sensitized to plant more of those plants,” he said.
Ndooto Wiliam, president of CAWM Students’ Organization (CAWMSO) said the garden will serve as a botanical study site for students and a source of income since outsiders will be charged a fee for its use.
“I appeal to Tanzanians to beautify their homes with herb-gardens for the double benefit of beauty and medicines,” the student leader noted.
Francis Chuwa, a resident of Kibosho area said the establishment of the garden at the college should serve as a wake-up call for other Tanzanians who use traditional medicines to start herbal gardens.
“At the outbreak of Covid-19, the government sensitized people to embrace local remedies and most of us turned to herbs. As a result, there has been massive cutting of plants, where environmental degradation is risked” he said.
“It is time we stated planting herbs and other plants with the same speed we have been cutting and using them,” he added.
