Professor Folake Lucy Oyetayo of Ekiti State University's food and nutritional biochemistry department has urged the government and university leadership to invest in cutting-edge equipment for researching Nigeria's underutilized medicinal plants. She argued that such funding would unlock the potential of plants rich in bioactive compounds with healing properties.
The research, she said, could help investigators understand the nutritional and medicinal worth of these plants while reducing Nigeria's spending on imported orthodox medications. She also called on health professionals to learn more about lesser-known medicinal plants that could address nutritional gaps and manage various degenerative diseases.
Professor Oyetayo emphasized the need to promote edible medicinal plants in dietary planning to tackle emerging health challenges. She delivered these remarks during the university's 108th inaugural lecture, titled "In Search of the Beautiful Ones: Unravelling Phytoceuticals and Phytonutrients in Sleeping Pharmaceutical Giants."
Nigeria possesses abundant indigenous plants with bioactive compounds capable of treating and preventing chronic illnesses, she noted. Yet most remain underdeveloped despite their significant nutritional and medicinal benefits, she added, and could strengthen healthcare systems with proper scientific attention.
Environmental agencies must work harder to protect the natural habitats of medicinal plants, the professor said. The government should encourage community-based farming of identified medicinal plants designed for health rather than food production, she urged.
Local medicinal gardens should be established to boost availability and accessibility, she continued. Government must also create botanical gardens and herbaria to help identify, cultivate, conserve and use Nigeria's indigenous medicinal plants, she stressed.
Such facilities would prevent endangered species from disappearing completely and create a comprehensive database of Nigeria's medicinal plants, she explained. Vice-Chancellor Professor Joseph Babatola Ayodele praised the lecture as well-researched and timely after it concluded.
The presentation underscored how Nigeria's plant resources could enhance nutrition and health outcomes, he said. A diet centered on locally-grown plants could lower people's dependence on medication, he noted.
Ekiti State University remains devoted to backing quality research and innovation that solves local, national and international problems, the vice-chancellor affirmed. He reaffirmed the institution's commitment to such scholarly endeavors.
