HISTORY
Previously knowledge of phyto medicines and CAM therapies were passed on from generation to generation through apprenticeship and word of mouth. There were plant cures and therapies for nearly all diseases and it was obligatory that everyone had some knowledge about the plants & CAM therapies used for simple ailments. More serious ailments were treated by traditional healers. Unfortunately in Zambia no records were kept to preserve this knowledge and as people began to migrate from the rural areas too the cities, the plant knowledge soon began to die as the new dwellers began to rely on allopathic medicines even for simple ailments. It was associated mainly with the villages, and witchcraft thus seeming old fashioned so in the fast growing cities, traditional health practitioners started using shrines as their clinics.

The market contains a lot of herbal products manufactured outside the country. People have began to recognize the benefits of phyto medicines, and CAM Therapies which have no side effects, are non-toxic, non irritant and treat the whole body by using the Holistic approach which heals the mind, body and spirit and has long term benefits. The traditional healers who are knowledgeable in phyto medicines have little knowledge on how to process, package, analyze and research the plants as well as keep documented records of their patients, plant chemistry, dosage, side effects and other useful information.

With people discovering the side effects of allopathic medicines, there is a high demand for indigenous plant remedies and other CAM Therapies, not only that but with new diseases coming forth with the changes in the environment, lifestyle, social and eating habits, CAM Therapies and plant remedies are the solution to help prevent and cure these ailments.

By recording this knowledge, researching on the not yet known plant species, will make it easier for everyone to have access to affordable, long term, natural health because all the cultivation, harvesting, processing, analyzing, research, treatment and recording will be done under one roof here in our own country. These same phyto medicines will be made into various forms such as injectables, capsules, tablets, supplements, cosmetics and natural health foods. The records will be in the archives for generations to come for future reference.

By also training therapists various CAM therapies from different countries, a Medical Tourism Project can bring in tourists throughout the year as has been done in Thailand and South Africa which can boost the “Visit Zambia” Campaign because tourists would come for treatments here where it is more affordable.