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From: jcp@osiris.UUCP (Jody Patilla)
Newsgroups: net.nlang.africa
Subject: Re: Is there any benefit in African Medicine
Message-ID: <295@osiris.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-May-85 15:13:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: osiris.295
Posted: Fri May  3 15:13:46 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 6-May-85 01:20:27 EDT
References: <315@link.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Johns Hopkins Hospital
Lines: 28

> Can we learn anything from the ways African
> Doctors treat sick people? For example, it has proved
> that the reason why african people have less dental
> people is because they eat more calcium food and because
> they use a combination of chewing stick and brush to
> clean their mouth. As a matter of fact, my dentist ask
> me to bring a couple of chewing stick when next I visit
> any African country. Is this theory true?
> 
	Chewing sticks are in fact very effective, especially
when combined with the charcoal-based tooth powders that are
used in parts of Africa. The chewing sticks that I know of are
chewed until they are all mashed and brush-like on the end and
then this "brush" is rubbed all over the teeth and gums. It cleans
the teeth and keeps the gums healthy, as well as having an antiseptic
effect.
	There are a couple of large, weighty books written by public
health physicians and biological researchers about the medical uses
of plants in Africa. They go into quite a bit of detail about chemical
structures and why certain plants are effective in particular ways.
I don't recall the titles but they can be found in the Q-R section
of the library in the Library of Congress filing system.
-- 
  

jcpatilla

"'Get stuffed !', the Harlequin replied ..."