Burantashi Is Good For Sexual Performance But Also Has Side Effects - Researchers

It is sold by many Hausa traders in major cities across Nigeria, especially in areas with heavy traffic.  Funny enough, these “abokis” are patronised by many high society ladies who buy it for their partners. Men also patronise them and keep these aphrodisiac hawkers in business.

 

In Lagos for example, burantashi and other aphrodisiacs are hawked near big malls and at almost all the petrol filling stations, cinemas, hotels, street corners, post offices within the metropolis.

 

Some call it Hausa Viagra or Hausa paraga because they claim it helps them to last longer in bed, relieves impotence in men, cures erectile dysfunction and weak erection, brings sexual satisfaction and is a good cure for low sperm count. And it is natural, so with less side effects.

 

Now, researchers at the University of Benin, Benin City, say although it enhances sexual performance, it could have a negative impact on the quality of sperm produced.

 

Test in animals showed that although burantashi does not affect sperm concentration and motility, its continuous usage, can increase the number of abnormal sperm per ejaculate and as such may also pose a threat on fertility.

 

Derived from the bark of the African tree Pausinystalia johimbe (Yohimbe in English), burantashi reputed as a herbal aphrodisiac or sex enhancer is called agbo idagbon in Yoruba.  It is also sprinkled on suya, a peppery beef barbecue.

 

The burantashi tree was nicknamed “love tree” and the bark extract was inserted into delicious little candies. These “love candies” as they were appropriately named, were a popular gift among European lovers.

 

Apart from its aphrodisiac properties, it is also used to treat fever, cough, exhaustion or as an energy booster, chest pain, skin disorders and inflammations.

 

Burantashi is also used as a mild stimulant to prevent drowsiness, a general tonic, a remedy to increase the clarity of the voices of singers during long festivals and as a treatment to increase the resilience of hunting dogs.

 

The researchers in the 2020 edition of the journal, Acta Scientific Pharmaceutical Sciences, had studied the impact of burantashi on the structure of the sperm in adult male Wister rats and mice.

 

For the study, 54 male Wister rats broken down into six rats in each group with the control group as a model of comparison. Burantashi was administered orally to the rats at 200mg and 400mg concentrations for 14 days, 28 days and 48 days respectively.

 

Afterwards, the rats were killed and their sperms extracted and assessed for any possible abnormalities in their structure.

 

Noticeable significant changes in the sperm were observed with 200mg and 400mg of day 14, 28 and 48 even as the concentration and dose of burantashi used increased.

 

The abnormal changes ranged from headless, tailless, short tail, big head and double tail sperm cells. However, headless and tailless sperms occurred more.

 

They declared, “The fact that burantashi enhances sexual performance doesn’t mean it does not have any effect on the sperm cell quality as observed in this study.”

 

Due to the widespread usage of burantashi amongst the males in Nigeria, there seems to be a connection between its usage and infertility, as some studies portend its usage and the link with infertility and sperm cell quality amongst sexually active males.

 

In comparison with previous studies, the researchers said that although burantashi may not affect the sperm cell concentration and motility at a short exposure, its prolonged use and at high doses causes extensive damage to the sperm’s structure.

 

Conversely, in another study, researchers suggested that indiscriminate consumption of burantashi for a long duration is able to cause liver damage.

 

In 2014, the researchers in the Nigerian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology had examined the effects of burantashi on the liver of albino rats at varying concentrations. They found that it caused impaired liver function with increased amount used. 

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Venom From Bees Can Destroy CancerCells- New Study

   

       Bees are generally known for their honey and its natural health benefits to humans. But according to a new study, it’s not just the honey that makes the bee a special organism to man; the venom from bees also has amazing natural health benefits. In laboratory studies, the active component of honeybee venom rapidly killed two types of breast cancer cells that are particularly difficult to treat. Crucially, the toxin left healthy cells unharmed.

 

For thousands of years, humans have used honey properties, and venom from the honeybee Apis mellifera as medicines.

 

More recently, scientists have discovered that honeybee venom and its active component, melittin, are toxic to a wide range of tumors - including melanoma, lung, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers -  in laboratory tests.

 

Melittin is the molecule that creates the painful sensation of a bee’s sting. Scientists do not fully understand how it kills cancer cells, however.

 

For the first time, researchers have investigated the effect of melittin and honeybee venom on a range of breast cancers, including two of the most aggressive and hard-to-treat types.

 

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. The two aggressive types, known as triple-negative breast cancer and HER2-enriched breast cancer, are associated with the poorest outcomes. They tend to develop resistance to existing treatments.

 

Scientists at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research in Perth, Australia, and the University of Western Australia, also in Perth, found that melittin and honeybee venom rapidly kill these cancer types, with negligible effects on normal cells.

 

“The venom was extremely potent,” says Dr. Ciara Duffy, who led the research. “We found that melittin can completely destroy cancer cell membranes within 60 minutes.”

 

The study also showed that venom from bumblebees, which contains no melittin, did not kill the cancer cells — even at high concentrations.

 

The scientists report their work in the journal npj Precision Oncology.

 

He adds: “Significantly, this study demonstrates how melittin interferes with signaling pathways within breast cancer cells to reduce cell replication. It provides another wonderful example of where compounds in nature can be used to treat human diseases.”

 

Because melittin creates holes in cell membranes, it may also allow existing chemotherapy drugs to penetrate and kill cancer cells.

 

To test this possibility, the researchers treated a mouse model of triple-negative breast cancer with a combination of melittin and a drug called docetaxel. This proved more effective at shrinking the tumors than either docetaxel or melittin alone.

 

Doctors could potentially use this strategy to increase the efficacy or reduce the dosage of chemotherapy drugs, thereby reducing harmful side effects.

 

The study authors note that honeybee venom is relatively cheap and easily obtainable, making it a good option for cancer treatment in countries with poorly resourced health services.

 

They write:“Honeybee venom is available globally and offers cost effective and easily accessible treatment options in remote or less developed regions. Further research will be required to assess whether the venom of some genotypes of bees has more potent or specific anticancer activities, which could then be exploited.”

 

This line of research is in its infancy, with researchers yet to perform clinical trials in humans to assess the safety and efficacy of melittin for treating breast cancer.

 

Although this particular study found no evidence of harm to noncancerous cells, other studies suggest otherwise. Therefore, healthcare professionals may need to carefully target melittin to tumors to prevent collateral damage to healthy tissue.

 

  

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Herbal Medicines Can Cure COVID 19 But... - Experts

            

     

A public health expert and virologist at the University of Lagos, Professor Sunday Omilabu, has said that like other viral diseases, a cure for COVID-19 may be in medicinal plants and will only require that such undergo multi-centre clinical trials to ascertain their efficacy and toxicity before they are included in the treatment of people with the disease.

 

Professor Omilabu, who spoke at a virtual meeting with the theme ‘Antiviral Herbal Remedies: COVID-19 in Focus’ by the Model Herbal Clinic, University of Lagos, to commemorate the second decade of African Traditional Medicine Day, said there are many herbal remedies for many illnesses and a viral disease like COVID-19 would not be an exemption.

 

He stated that a challenge to such an antiviral herbal treatment would include determining its dosage, its active ingredients, mechanism of action and possible interactions with other organs of the body before it could be fully adopted for the treatment of individuals with COVID-19 infection.

 

According to Professor Omilabu, although diseases are emerging and re-emerging in the world and the risk of emergence is most likely from coronaviruses, arboviruses and influenza viruses, the threat of COVID-19 is global, but the answer is local.

 

He declared that stopping epidemics like COVID-19 in the future would require governments anticipating and preparing to stop the next emerging pandemic at the origin as well as funding research on reemerging viral diseases.

 

Director, Indigenous Knowledge-based Technology Innovation unit, Department of Science and Technology, South Africa, Dr Aunkh Chabalala, in his keynote address stated that work is ongoing on 20 herbal remedies with different formulations for COVID-19 in South Africa.

 

According to him, the emphasis of researchers is on developing antiviral therapies and immune modulators that can work in singly or in a combination as well as nutritional supplements to treat COVID-19.

 

Dr Chabalala declared that a clinical study of an antiviral herbal remedy is soon to start in South Africa.

 

He, however, stressed the need for African countries to support the development and research into traditional medicine as well as expedite the registration and inclusion of herbal medicines into the essential medicine list so that they can be used in various health facilities.

 

Dr Chabalala said commercializing herbal medicine would also require that a good manufacturing practice be developed for the products because African countries bear the highest-burden of many diseases.

 

Board Chairman, Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board (LSTMB) Professor Adebukola Adefule-Ositelu stressed the need for an increase collaboration between traditional medical practitioners and conventional medical practitioners to ensure sustainable health.

 

Acting Head of Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Lagos, Mrs Adeola Adegun said the theme was chosen to draw attention to the need for research and development on herbal medicine with the rising impact of COVID-19 in Africa.

 

She said it was time for Africa to bring ideas and best practices from traditional medicine to tackle this challenge and also promote traditional medicine.

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Is Waterleaf A Better Substitute For Ugwu In Boosting Blood Level?

VEGETABLES constitute essential components of the diet by contributing nutrients and food properties that are important to human health. Increasingly, many people are turning to vegetable to also boost body immunity and blood levels.

Several researchers have reported the consumption of Ugwu (Telfairia occidentalis or fluted pumpkin) leaves for its ability to boost blood levels. But surprisingly, experts in a new study named waterleaf a better blood tonic than ugwu leaf.

Ugwu is a crop eaten for its medicinal benefits. It is used in the treatment of convulsion, taken to boost breastmilk production, immunity and fertility. It also has liver-protective properties as well as lowers cholesterol level.


Waterleaf, known as Gbure (Yoruba), Nteoka/inene(Igbo) and Alenyruwa (Hausa) is used as condiment, sauce, spice, softening of soups and for flavouring in foods. The leaves have been reported used in the management of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and obesity.

According to folk medicine, waterleaf has been reported to be effective in the management of polyuria, internal heat, measles, gastrointestinal disorders, liver ailments and cancer.

Traditionally, there is a high focus on the ugwu leaf for its blood-boosting benefit but consumption of water leaf for its blood-boosting potential did not gain maximum attention.


This study designed to compare the blood building properties of waterleaf and ugwu was in animals. Fifteen Wistar rats were used in this study. They were grouped into three of five rats each. The 2019 study was reported the journal, Acta Scientific Nutritional Health.

Group 1 served as the control, group 2 and 3 were treated with ethanolic extracts of ugwu and waterleaf respectively for 28 days. Their blood samples were tested for haematological parameters such as red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration.


The result showed that both plants increased these blood parameters when compared with control animals. However, the packed cell volume, red blood cell and platelets of animals treated with waterleaf were significantly higher than those treated with ugwu.

Also water leaf has a better ability to attack and destroy invading bacteria, viruses and other injurious agents than ugwu leaf. It is also better in thrombopoietin production as well as blood clotting potential than the leaf extract of ugwu.


They added: “It is, therefore, possible that the consumption of both plants by humans can help prevent anaemia, especially in menstruating and pregnant women.”


Although the study justified the use of both plants as a blood tonic, they said rather than focus on the leaves of ugwu to boost blood levels, waterleaf could be a better substitute. The 2019 study was in the journal, Acta Scientific Nutritional Health.


Previously, researchers have reported jute leaf (ewedu in Yoruba, Ahihara in Igbo) as another vegetable to boost the body’s blood production.

Like ugwu leaf, jute leaf also contains minerals like calcium, potassium, iron, ascorbic acid and carotene. It is used traditionally for the treatment of dysentery, fever and gonorrhoea.

Also, researchers had said daily intake of Justicia carnea can offer a rich supply of iron and vitamins to boost blood level. They proved that Justicia carnea leaves possess blood-boosting properties more effective than many medicinal plants and well known Western blood tonics.  It is commonly called Hospital Too Far or Blood of Jesus but generally considered as an ornamental plant.


Using animal models, the researchers in the 2019 study published in the journal, Biomedical Research corroborated that its leaf possesses blood boosting and replenishing properties that enabled it effectively restore blood levels to normalcy within every a short period of treatment.

According to them, significant reductions in the levels of blood levels observed in anaemic rats were significantly reverted within four to eight days of treatment with the extract.

A good number of medicinal plants have been traditionally employed in alleviating anaemic condition. Some of these plants include sorghum bicolor, Psorospermum ferbrifugum (Christmas berry), Jatropha curcas (Physic Plant) and Flacourtia flavenscens (Indian plum).


Moreover, foods that are rich in iron and vitamins are also used to beat anaemia and boost blood levels. These include beans, pigeon peas, spinach, green leafy vegetables, fish, oysters, and organ meat, such as kidney and liver.

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Erratic Sleep Habits Could Raise Heart Attack, Stroke Risk

According to findings of a new study published in the March issue of ‘The Journal of the American College of Cardiology,’ those whose sleep varied two hours or more a night were twice as likely to have heart events as those whose sleep varied by fewer than 60 minutes.

Similarly, over one year, eight of every 1,000 people with the most consistent sleep patterns had a heart event, compared with 20 in 1,000 of those with the most irregular sleep.

The lead author, Tianyi Huang, said this study suggested that healthy sleep wasn’t just about quantity but about consistency and that it could have an important effect on heart health.

 It only shows an association, rather than a cause-and-effect link, added Huang, who is  an associate epidemiologist in the Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston in the U.S.

He said: “When we talk about interventions to prevent heart attacks and stroke, we focus on diet and exercise.

“Even when we talk about sleep, we tend to focus on duration — how many hours a person sleeps each night — but not on sleep irregularity and the impact of going to bed at different times or sleeping different amounts from night to night.”

The researchers analysed data from nearly 2,000 Americans between 45 and 84 years of age who did not have heart disease.

The ‘NewsmaxHealth’ reported that participants wore a wrist device that monitored their sleep for seven days, including bedtime, sleep duration and wake time.

They were then followed for an average of nearly five years during which 111 participants had a heart attack, stroke or other heart event.

“In the future,” Huang said, “we’d like to explore whether changing one’s sleep patterns by going to bed consistently each night may reduce a person’s risk of future cardiovascular events.”

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Corona Virus: Nigeria's Second Case Tests Nagative

The second infected case of the Coronavirus disease in Nigeria has now tested negative.

This was disclosed by the Nigerian Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire while giving a live update on the Coronavirus disease in Nigeria.

The patient, an Ogun state contact of the index case, had been isolated after testing positive for the Coronavirus disease four days ago. The patient was one of the 40 staff of Lafarge Cement taken in immediately the index case was discovered.

Fielding questions from pressmen as to why no travel restriction had been placed in Nigeria, Osagie Ehanire noted that every country takes the measures that suit its current situation, but Nigeria is still safe and would not need extreme measures at the moment.

“There’s already a lot of self-restriction going on. There is a reduction in passenger movement, even without banning anybody. In our case, we have looked at the economic impact of all of these, as other countries are doing before taking decisions.


“The Federal Government has set up a committee to monitor the impact, to determine the benefits, costs and losses. As far as we are concerned, the risks we have here are very low and we are monitoring it very closely,” he said.

He noted that the ministry was keeping close contact on all the stakeholders, experts and higher authorities to keep tab on the situation. He added that there would be no need to impose any restriction as the economy has already been affected by the outbreak, and any travel restriction would only serve to worsen the situation.

The minister assured Nigerians that the government had equipped 5 laboratories for this purpose, but only two had been used in conducting the 41 tests done so far.

“As far as the tests are concerned, we are ready, and we will increase it as the need demands,” he assured.
 
He noted that the genetic sequencing successfully carried out by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research and other partner laboratories had formed the basis for ongoing research on the vaccine to neutralize the virus.


Ehanire stated further that the Sports Festival could still hold in Nigeria, as the entrants would be screened before entering the stadium. He, however, noted that it would be up to the relevant authorities to decide what to do if players and spectators were coming in from outside the country, but the Ministry of Health would be ready to offer the needed advice and support where needed.

He dismissed rumours of medical practitioners treating infected patients secretly, insisting that no medical practitioner would do that without putting himself at risk. According to him, most of the 41 tests tested so far were referrals from private hospitals.

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