The role of traditional medicine in wound care in Africa
Especially in rural areas of the continent, traditional treatment methods are still widespread. Some of these traditional treatments use products like honey and charcoal that are generally beneficial to wound healing. Some traditional healers have a good understanding of wound care, while others may use treatment methods that will actually deter the healing of the wound. As health care workers in Africa, we have to acknowledge that even in rural areas, quite many patients will seek help from a traditional healer first. It is therefore important to have some knowledge about which products are commonly used in traditional methods in wound care. If you click on the bottom image, you will get to an open-access chapter on this topic written by Phillip Builder and Modupe Builder, published in 2016
Figure 1 Traditional medicine is an integral part of health care in Africa, especially in more rural areas. However, also in urban areas some patients may prefer to seek help from a traditional healer first. image credits:vivi14216 pixabay
Figure 2 Click on the image above to get to an article on traditional African medicine in wound care, by Philip and Modupe Builders at intechopen.com