Exploring the potential of indigenous remedies to mitigate Kenya's diabetes epidemic

In Africa, only one percent of health expenditure is allocated to diabetes care, the lowest investment rate in the world. This stark reality is particularly evident in Kenya, where the rising number of diabetes cases and high costs of conventional treatment are causing concern.

Fridah Muthomi, a Kenyan diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, found the cost of insulin and hospital check-ups prohibitive. Faced with this predicament, she turned to herbal remedies developed by her father, Moses Muthomi. Moses Muthomi has developed five herbal remedies for diabetes, addressing the effects on the endocrine system and glucagon levels. He has successfully treated around 100 people with diabetes, including his daughter, who was able to stop using insulin two years ago.

The cost of Moses Muthomi's herbal remedies for a 48-day course of treatment ranges from 3,900 shillings ($30) to 10,060 shillings ($78). This is significantly lower than the cost of conventional treatment. A vial of rapid-acting insulin, for instance, costs around 4,300 shillings, or U.S. $33, and a patient needing three to four vials monthly would incur substantial expenses.

Paul Kiplangat, a Kenyan public health officer, experienced complications with prescribed medication for Type 2 diabetes and turned to herbal remedies. He reduced his intake of conventional medicine and started an herbal regimen, along with lifestyle changes, and saw improvement in his health.

However, traditional healers like Muthomi face challenges in getting their products validated and approved to sell them. Policy gaps are their biggest obstacle. Matu-Macharia, deputy director at KEMRI's Centre for Community Driven Research, states that Kenya lacks a framework for integrating traditional remedies into its health policies.

Researchers at KEMRI have focused on finding novel compounds to help manage and treat non-communicable diseases, including diabetes. One of their studies found that extracts from the leaves of two aloe plants indigenous to Kenya reduced blood sugar levels in diabetic mice while also protecting pancreatic beta cells from damage. This research offers hope for a cheaper alternative to insulin for treating diabetes.

However, KEMRI lacks the funding and legal frameworks to make traditionally effective and safe remedies for diabetes commercially available. The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) has been researching traditional medicines for more than four decades, but a legal framework to integrate traditional medicine into the country's health policy remains elusive.

Elsa Morandat, head of policy and programme at the World Diabetes Foundation, states that access to diabetes care in low- and middle-income countries is a major challenge due to cost and lack of proper equipment. She expresses hope that an updated policy framework would make traditional approaches part of the public health toolkit.

A Kenyan organization working on a legal framework to integrate traditional medicine into the country's health policy is not explicitly named in the provided search results. Nevertheless, the success stories of individuals like Fridah Muthomi and Paul Kiplangat offer a glimmer of hope that traditional remedies could play a significant role in addressing the diabetes care crisis in Kenya.

Exploring the potential of indigenous remedies to mitigate Kenya's diabetes epidemic