Abdoul Hamid Derra
Herbalist traditions are more numerous in Africa than in any other continent. During the colonial period, these medicinal practices were repressed, but today, in a spectacular turnaround, doctors often work in close symbiosis with healers. The therapeutic use of medicinal plants dates back to the most ancient times in Africa. Egyptian writings confirm that herbalism was, for millennia, held in great esteem. The Abers Papyrus (15th century BC), one of the oldest preserved medical texts, lists more than 870 prescriptions and preparations, 700 medicinal plants - including yellow gentian (gentiana lutea), aloe vera (aloe vera ) and poppy (papaver somniferum). It treats bronchial conditions and crocodile bites. The medical techniques mentioned in the various Egyptian manuscripts constitute the bases of classical medical practice in Greece, Rome and the Arab world.
