Using Herbs to Live Good With Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease is a hereditary disorder in which normally round shaped red blood cells which carry oxygen through the body become abnormal and sickle shaped. A crisis episode occurs when there is sickling because the blood cells cannot move as easily as normal red blood cells, thereby blocking blood vessels and disrupting blood flow. This results in pain, tissue damage and major organs damage. Anaemia is common in people with sickle cell disease due to the fact that sickled cells have a shorter lifespan and are not as easily replaced as normal cells leading to a shortage of red blood cells.

Living with Sickle Cell Disease is tough condition to live with but can be managed better with understanding a few facts about what can cause cells to sickle and avoiding them.

Some of the conditions which cause sickling and crisis are:

1)      Lack of Oxygen in the body is the major cause of sickling and it can be caused by the following;

·         Infections

·         Dehydration (not enough water)

·         Stress

·         Exhaustion

·         Strenuous Exercise

·         Smoking

2)      Poor Blood Circulation

3)      Pain

Because Sickle Cell Disease is predominant amongst people of African descent, Africans have managed it for thousands of years with herbs. Here is a list of some of the herbs and spices that are used in Sickle Cell Disease management:

·         Alligator Pepper Seeds , Aframomum melegueta, grains of Paradise, atare(Yoruba), ese oji(Igbo), eche(Idoma)

·         Clove Seeds, Eugenia caryophyllata, kananfuru (Yoruba, Hausa)

·         African Black Pepper Seeds, Piper guineensis, iyere(Yoruba), Uziza(Igbo)

·         Sorghum Bicolour Leaf Stalks, poroporo oka baba(Yoruba), okili(Igbo), durra, milo, juwari,

·         Fagara Root, Fagara zanthoxyloides, pako orin ata(Yoruba)

·         Pigeon Pea Seeds, Cajanus cajan,

·         Pawpaw Leaves and Fruit, Carica papaya, ibepe(Yoruba)

·         Pterocarpus Osun Stem,

·         Indian Almond Leaves, Terminalia catappa, commonly called “fruit” in Southwest Nigeria.

·         False Nutmeg Bark, Pcynanthus angolensis, akomu(Yoruba), akwa mili, oje(Igbo)                        

     

      The foundation of healthy living is also built upon what we consume and our lifestyle. A diet filled with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods is highly beneficial to everyone for optimal body health and this is very important for those living with Sickle Cell Disease.

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