Dr. Alfred A. Appiah details how plant-based healing—once suppressed as “fetish”—regained its rightful place in Ghana’s healthcare system
In a remarkable narrative that spans from divine creation to colonial oppression and modern scientific validation, Dr. Alfred A. Appiah, former Deputy Director of the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR), has articulated a comprehensive history of herbal medicine that positions it as humanity’s original healthcare system.
“The history of herbal medicine is as old as man,” Dr. Appiah began, grounding his account in spiritual origins. “When God created man, he provided man with food and medicine. He told man to use the fruits of plants as food and the leaves for healing.”
This theological framework establishes plant medicine not as alternative therapy but as fundamental to human existence—a divine provision for human sustenance that predates all medical systems by millennia.
Dr. Appiah traced this uninterrupted tradition across centuries until what he described as a deliberate disruption during colonial rule. “When we were colonized by the British, they made every effort to discourage the use of herbal medicine,” he recounted. “They considered it as fetish and probably didn’t believe in it. They discouraged its use and virtually banned it. The thing virtually went underground.”
This suppression, he explained, created a cultural rupture where Ghanaians could no longer openly practice or establish herbal clinics, while colonial authorities actively promoted orthodox medicine alongside Christian teachings.
The turning point came with Ghana’s independence in 1957. “Our first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, started promoting traditional medicine and other traditional practices including herbal medicine,” Dr. Appiah stated, highlighting how national sovereignty enabled cultural reclamation.
Nkrumah’s establishment of a federation for traditional practitioners marked the beginning of an institutional revival that would eventually gain global validation. “Along the line, WHO itself also began to realize the important role that herbal medicine plays in health,” Dr. Appiah noted, describing how international recognition further legitimized the practice.
This cascading acceptance led to the creation of Ghana’s entire traditional medicine infrastructure: the Centre for Plant Medicine Research, the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Directorate, the Traditional Medicine Practice Council, pharmacopoeias, and FDA regulations for herbal products.
Dr. Appiah’s narrative presents herbal medicine as having completed a full historical cycle: from divine gift to suppressed knowledge to scientifically validated mainstream practice. His account challenges conventional medical histories by centering plant-based healing as both primordial and increasingly relevant in modern healthcare.
The story ultimately celebrates not just the survival of traditional knowledge but its institutionalization—a testament to both cultural resilience and evolving global attitudes toward healing traditions that predate modern science yet increasingly meet its standards.
