WSU PROF’S TRADITIONAL TEA RELIEVES MENTAL HEALTH

WSU research students gave arousing presentations on a herbal product tea by WSU’s professor Adebola Oyedeji at the Bio Africa Exhibition in Durban recently.

Oyedeji has two different herbal teas, Creation Nervine Tea and Creation Arthritis Tea.

Amongst the many benefits that her herbal teas offer, she said it relieves arthritis and can be used for the treatment of mental disorders.

“It relieves pain and reduces swollen joints, it also helps delay the onset of arthritis. It is also a calming tea that can be used for the management and treatment of some mental disorders,” said Odeyeji.

The exhibition detailed the composition, usage and traditional medical background of the tea that has been used by African herbal practitioners for centuries.

Of the many challenges she has encountered with the production of the teas she said it was getting financial support from pharmaceutical industries that could partner with her or buy the product so that it may reach the market faster.

“Another challenge has been growing the foreign seed to generate our seed bank. This took time but we now have a seed bank for all the plant materials for the two herbal teas,” added Oyedeji.

She said the difference with her teas is that they are natural and have no side effects after consumption.

The Bio Africa Convention is an international event organised by AfricaBio, a biotechnology stakeholder association in partnership with IPASA (Innovative Pharmaceutical Association of South Africa and TIA (Technology Innovation Agency) and endorsed by the South African Departments of Science and Technology, Health and Trade and Industry.

It provides a platform for dialogue and discussion with stakeholders in the global biotechnology environment. It is also a showcase of bio-innovations from the broader biotech community of South Africa and the Africa region, creating an enabling environment for commercialization of local innovations.

By Sinawo Hermans