Lemon grass is not just another flower in the garden but a great spice for tea , soup and other African delicacies .
Dry lemon grass can also be used as incense.. Burnt as ‘turarè wuta’ as the hausa would say. And then the aroma which comes from that is pleasant in the living room.
Such burnt lemon grass is also a great repeller for mosquitoes.
Research also shows that lemon grass when grown around the house has the capacity to repel snakes .
Despite all these facts , Africans are yet to put the God given grass into full use .
The average black man prefers to go shopping for chemical induced insecticides whereas pieces of lemon grass in the house could do some wonders .
Rather than boil their protein with the likes of lemongrass, cinnamon or Bay leaf and other great spices ,they prefer spices with additives and artificial components and perhaps has been on the shelf at a mart for only God knows for how long .
Rather than settle for drinks such as well made zobo drinks made from hibiscus flower or the healthy ginger drink ,the average black man prefers the carbonated drinks .
Funny enough, Chinese who manufacture all these do not use them .
Sometime ago ,we were in China, Fughuo province precisely and all we are served throughout seminar sessions was Green tea .
Even though alternative tea types are set by the corner for those who care .
The green tea with no sugar no milk ..This is because, research has shown them that their green tea is sufficient to keep any one fit at all times.
Chinese green tea is highly prized, so much so it is used as precious gift to visitors.
At the market place ,it was also discovered that the green tea has categories .
From the very high quality to the lesser ones and the prices also vary in that order .
Can one point to a particular leaf in African so highly prized and preserved ?
Even though we hear much talk about aloe Vera ,the African is yet to benefit fully from it .
Though Africa is largely agrarian only in Kenya, we see that the coffee and tea are well preserved and nurtured just as Ethiopian tea is equally recognised as very high in nutrient.
This is because they grow naturally without the aid of any fertiliser.
Those who know , do not joke with the Kenya and Ethiopia tea or coffee.It is very high in nutrient.
However, the question is whether or not it has international acclaim.
I once heard a former Minister of health in Nigeria acknowledge the hibiscus flower otherwise know as zobo as a good blood builder.
So also is the well known blood building power of fluted pumpkin leaf otherwise called ugu leaf .
You could walk the entire street in China and you will not find any pharmaceutical shop .
Because, they hardly use the drugs they manufacture.
For instance ,at a seminar venue or the hotel, there is nothing like “first aid box”.
To the average Chinese, the “green tea” is sufficient .
At least in 6 out of 10 shops , the shop owner is glue to his green tea all day long . By his side, you will observe a tea jug and the boiler on one side.
On the other hand an African with all her fertile land , and the green revolution advocacy ,is yet to nurture nor treasure any of her leaves such as the Chinese “green tea”
In Nigeria, for instance a time it was during the former President Goodluck Jonathan ‘s administration , we were told that the traditional medicine is to be modernised in order that Nigeria,s green treasures will be put to full capacity as an alternative recipe and medicine .
Whether or not this has happened or will happen someday ,only time will tell .
The list of useful and quality herbs adequate to tackle some topical ailments in Africa is enormous .
The number of God given herbs in Africa are great .
Many of which are used to cure ailments from time immemorial.
Those who have indept knowledge about leaves can tell more
it is only hoped that the stakeholders will rise to develop and modernise them in line with global best practices.
Advance countries value the African leaves why the Africans prefer the chemically composed drugs.
This is not to say orthodox medicine is completely bad ,however, it is time the Africans look inwards to develop her God given herbs many of which grow naturally without the aid of fertizers ..
Analysists would suggest that Botany, the study of plants be encouraged in institutions of higher learning going by the level at which the African continent is blessed with fertile soil .
There is alot to gain from the study of plants .
Botany is not just about flowers for beutification .
And besides most flowers and herbs are good for therapy and healing .
For instance boiling lemon grass and inhaling it is therapeutic.
No wonder alot of African cosmetologsts are now going organic having realised the importance of nature .
For instance,the shea butter and cocoa butter naturally suits the African skin as against the imported cream on the shelf of a super mart .
Rashidat Yusuf Writes from Abuja. Yusufrashidat12@gmail.com
