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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 October 1999 Issue No. 450 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 October 1999 Issue No. 450
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Interview Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Alternative answers
By Zeinab Abul-Gheit
Herbal remedies are growing increasingly popular in Egypt, as elsewhere. While there is little chance that alternative therapy can ever fully replace orthodox medicine, doctors now believe it is possible -- indeed preferable -- to treat a host of ailments with plants or herbal compounds. In some cases, these remedies have been used for centuries -- a glance through the wares available for purchase from the 'attar, or druggist, reveals that, beside the "new" treatments -- often repackaged, renamed versions of old remedies -- for ailments ranging from obesity to acne, is the range known to popular lore and the medical establishment alike: hibiscus for high blood pressure, eucalyptus for coughs, ground ginger for colds, herbal deodorants, poultices and powders of every colour and form.
Such natural treatments are extremely appealing: in Egypt, at least, they are far cheaper than the "chemical" alternative (although the dichotomy between "chemical" and "natural" is not, technically speaking, accurate; even herbal remedies are chemical compounds, whether occurring in nature or synthesised by humans). They speak both to a knee-jerk sense of pride in indigenous knowledge (an informal poll of sidewalk booksellers indicates that compendia of "Islamic" remedies and mediaeval medical wisdom are gaining great popularity these days) and to a more millennial, urban desire to return to "the simpler things".
Few doctors deny that some herbal remedies can be beneficial; most caution, however, that they are not the answer for patients suffering from serious diseases, like hepatitis C or cancer. The former is of special concern to Egyptians: the number of hepatitis C sufferers, according to Dr Taha Qutbi, first under-secretary at the Ministry of Health, has risen to 12 per cent of the population this year, up from six per cent in 1993.
Dr Ali Midwar, professor of tropical medicine at Ain Shams University, cautions that "some herbal remedies lower the abnormal rates of enzyme production by the liver in hepatitis C sufferers, but do not affect the activity of the virus itself". Dr Soheir She'ir, of Ain Shams University's gastroenterology and hepatology department, adds: "Some herbs cure certain diseases, but have unpleasant side effects. Liquorice, for instance, heals gastric and duodenal ulcers, and is also beneficial in relieving constipation. But the medical community discovered long ago that it can also cause high blood pressure. Mint, often used to treat indigestion and other stomach disorders, causes a reflux of food from the stomach to the oesophagus."
Despite such drawbacks, however, there is a good chance that alternative treatments will continue to gain in popularity. In England, St John's wort, often prescribed to those suffering from depression, is far more expensive than Prozac; in Egypt, herbal remedies are far less costly, and more easily accessible, than their pharmaceutical counterparts. Even with over-the-counter availability of most medications, many still prefer the traditional druggist to the pharmacist. The recent crackdown on imported medicine can only have furthered this penchant. Some members of the medical establishment, like Camillia Taha, head of the Medicinal Plants Applied Research Centre, even argue that the use of natural remedies "will put an end to the monopoly of the major medicine-producing states. This trend," adds Taha, "is very beneficial to Egypt -- and will become more so when the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade comes into force next year."
While more orthodox medical practitioners regard the tendency to self-prescribe herbs and potions that could well do more harm than good, therefore (if only because patients with serious illnesses, believing that the substance they are taking is effective, do not seek urgently needed treatment like chemotherapy), it seems likely that herbal remedies will remain just as popular as they ever have been.
