Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine in Sierra Leone

About the Book

Medicinal plants and traditional medical practices from Sierra Leone in West Africa have much to offer the rest of the world. Dr. Cyrus MacFoy, an experienced researcher and scientific consultant, highlights more than two hundred plants used to cure more than one hundred diseases and illnesses in this informational guide. He provides the plant location, their botanical and local names, English common names, and the ways they are used to treat and cure ailments and diseases. He also includes

• findings regarding the conservation, sustainable use, and development of new drugs;
• ways to incorporate different techniques into the health care delivery system; and
• chemical analyses and biological activity testing of plant species.

Discover how Africa’s traditional healers play a critical role in treating diseases such as HIV and AIDS. In developing countries with poor infrastructure, these healers are located in nearly every rural village setting as well as in the busy urban areas. While underappreciated, they may play a key role in solving the continent’s diverse health problems.

About the Author

Dr. Cyrus MacFoy is a Sierra Leonean-American professor, researcher, and consultant, with more than thirty five years as a science educator in Sierra Leone, the UK, and the United States, including Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone; University of London, Westminster University, Richmond College (UK); University of Maryland University College, Montgomery College, American University, Trinity University, and Johns Hopkins University (United States). He was a researcher at the International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology in Kenya; the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/NASA in Maryland; the University of Georgia; Fourah Bay College; and the University of London, with a number of publications in international journals, books, book chapters, and consultancy reports. He has served as a consultant to various African and European countries for the United Nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and the World Bank. Professor MacFoy is a graduate of Royal Holloway College, University of London, with a BS (Hons) degree in biochemistry, and of the Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine, with a Masters and a Diploma of Imperial College (DIC) in environmental science and a PhD in ecological biochemistry. He is a member of the Institute of biology (MIBiol.); a chartered biologist (C.Biol.) and a Fellow of the Society of Biology (FSB). He has attended a number of conferences, seminars, and workshops in Africa, Europe, and the United States and was visiting professor and speaker at the University of Nairobi; Howard University; USDA; University of Georgia; University of Alabama A&M; Columbia University; the Institute of Ecosystem Studies (NY); and George Washington University. Professor MacFoy has received a number of awards and honors, including a Senior Fulbright Award; a UNIAEA award; and a Commonwealth Award, and he participated in a number of community activities in Sierra Leone, the UK, and the United States.