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Travels in medicine
Learning from nature.
The healing power of plants
Edmund Ekuadzi joined Novartis as a young student on an exchange program to learn about natural products and their chemical components. Today, he is leveraging these insights to advance research in Africa. His experience highlights the importance of exchange and networking – two of the Pavillon’s key values – for the development of a strong healthcare system.
Text by Clifford Osafo Asare, photos by Andrea Bruce.
One is an expert in traditional healing methods, drawing on a wealth of knowledge handed down over centuries about the medicinal properties of certain roots and leaves. The other, Edmund Ekuadzi, is a researcher who has made it his life’s work to explore the scientific basis of this ancient wisdom.
During his time at Novartis, Edmund Ekuadzi gained crucial technical insights that are instrumental for his work in Africa.
Edmund Ekuadzi grew up in Ghana’s capital Accra and is an expert in the field of pharmacognosy, the study of drugs derived from plants and other natural sources. Plants have long formed the basis of countless medicines. Examples include the willow tree, which was the original source of aspirin; the poppy, from which the painkiller morphine was obtained; and the cinchona tree, which was used for many years to produce the antimalarial drug quinine.
Leaves of the cinchona tree.
Gaining the trust of traditional herbalists, who feel threatened by science, is Edmund Ekuadzi’s biggest challenge. He first has to persuade them to show him the plants they use to treat a wide range of ailments. He then analyzes samples in his laboratory at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana.
Ekuadzi was the first to study the shrub, known as “Saa-wawa” in the local language, which belongs to the buckthorn family. It is used in West Africa as a panacea for everything from injuries and burns to snakebites and jaundice. In his analysis, he was able to isolate various substances that are responsible for the plant’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.
Research like this provides key data for assessing the quality of plant-based medicines. “These medicines are important for people in Ghana, where we are currently working to provide medical care for all,” emphasizes Edmund Ekuadzi.
Ghana’s jungle is a natural beauty and a medicinal treasure chest.
The first few meters into the jungle are easy. Deeper into the forest, a machete is needed to carve a path through the green.
Eduard Ekuadzi is preparing a sample with a local worker.
The leaves will be later used for analysis.
The young leaf shoots may hold different active ingredients than the mature leaves.
Having the right lab equipment is crucial for Ekuadzi and his team to make progress.
There is the promising prospect that one day he may discover an active ingredient that is still unknown to science and could change medical practice.
One such breakthrough occurred in the 1970s when scientists studied a plant that had been known to Chinese herbalists for millennia as a malaria cure. Artemisinin now forms the basis for combination therapies, such as Coartem, a Novartis antimalarial medicine.
Edmund Ekuadzi received support from Novartis when he completed an internship as part of the company’s Next Generation Scientist program. The program aims to develop the scientific and medical skills of postgraduates and doctors from emerging markets, equipping them with skills that will benefit them and their communities when they return.
The main building of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Ghana.
Ekuadzi is one of more than 100 scientists from 21 countries who have participated in the program. He has been able to develop his skills in specific techniques, such as mass spectrometry, which he uses to analyze the molecular structure of plants and isolate substances with therapeutic effects.
He is now putting his new skills to use at the University of Ghana, where he teaches pharmacognosy and works as deputy head of the laboratory.
Africa’s academic aspirations are high.
The way to Ekuadzi’s department is clear.
Although the number of students is still limited, natural plant medicine could see a surge in interest if Ekudzi’s work generates palpable results.
The lush green of the University campus creates an inviting atmosphere.
He also continues to analyze native plants that have been used in Ghana for generations to treat people and that could one day also help patients in far-flung countries.
