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The therapeutic use of medicinal plants in Africa dates back to the
earliest times. The Ebers papyrus (1500 BC), one of the oldest
surviving medical texts, includes over 870 prescriptions and
formulas, 700 medical herbs-including gentian (Gentiana lutea)-and
covers conditions ranging from chest complaints to crocodile
bite.
The medicinal parts put forward in this and other Egyptian texts
formed the intellectual foundation of classical medical practice in
Greece, Rome and the Arabic world.
In Berber culture, possession by a djinn (spirit) is a major cause
of sickness, and herbs with "magical" properties were
given to restore health. If the patient fails to recover, it
was likely to be attributed to a curse or to the "evil
eye".
The herbs in Africa are still being identified for their medicinal
values. Among them the benefits of pygeum (Pygeum africanum) have
been conclusively established in treating urinary problems. Of the
other plants currently under investigation, two shrubs, Bridelia
ferruginous (found in eastern and western grasslands) and Indigofera
arrecta (found in tropical areas), show promise in the treatment of
diabetes.
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