As the world continues to seek a Covid-19 cure, Jamal Mungatana, a registered herbalist from Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County claims to have unearthed a remedy for the deadly virus.
Mungatana has submitted his herbal medicine to the University of Eldoret through the County Government of Uasin Gishu for testing.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Mungatana opened up on his wealth of experience in herbal medicine.
"I'm a herbalist registered by the Government of Kenya and I have 20 years of experience. I have dealt with similar diseases that have symptoms close to Covid-19.
"My medicine can treat chronic pneumonia, cancer of the lungs and blood-related illnesses and I'm confident they can also treat Coronavirus," states the herbalist.
Mungatana adds that he has studied the disease, analysed scientific research and submitted a total of 12 remedies for further research that have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.
The traditional doctor explained that he has not been able to test the medication on a Covid-19 patient because he is yet to be given access to those infected.
Mungatana made headlines in 2019 when he came up with a drug dubbed Anti-Cancer, made from herbs, leaves and seeds among others was developed about two years ago.
"This medicine has a combination of 24 different medicines and is capable to not only prevent one from getting cancer but it can also treat those already with the disease," noted Dr Mungatana.
Back in 2014, the Ministry of Health started offering annual practising certificates to traditional healers to regulate the diagnosis and use of herbal medicines.
This was after the publication of a Bill that will create the Traditional Health Practitioners Council of Kenya—which will offer the certificates to the healers.
The 37-year-old boasts to have had numerous patients who have been healed of a number of chronic illnesses and noted that his medicines have robust documentation including the origin of the herbs and what they contain.
The Eldoret based herbalist has a long way to go before his drug can be approved for public use as at it will have to be subjected to rigorous testing by the World Health Organisation.
Mungatana revealed that Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago back in 2019 had offered him help in researching the medicine.
"The Governor spoke to the Director of Culture after we made a presentation in the Sisibo Cultural Festival and told me to wait as they look for researches who can certify the medicines," he revealed.
Mandago urged universities to help him with certifying herbal medication arguing that universities were forced to seek solutions from within.
"We as Africans should believe in ourselves. These home remedies are okay. Who knew it would be possible that someone would not be able to leave Kenya? Now you have to seek treatment locally.
"I also want to challenge our universities to also help our herbalists, to standardise their products," urged Mandago.
Madagascar ripped the headlines when they came up with a herbal remedy based on the artemisia annual plant, which has antimalarial properties and was developed by the state-run Malagasy Institute of Applied Research.
