Dr Akintunde Ayeni is the Chairman of YemKem International, Herbal Medicine. He is a pathfinder in that sector. He is a house hold name. Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus in China a few months back, the man has been going around researching on herbs that will cure COVID-19.
The big news is that, he has found a cure for this pandemic virus. He disclosed this when City People, ISAAC ABIMBADE, had an interview with him last week.
For those who don’t know much about Yemkem International Nigeria Limited (formerly known as Alafia Tayo).
The company is well structured with modern equipped factory situated at 1 Akintunde Ayeni Street, Onikanga, Ayobo, Lagos state.
Today, Yemkem International Nig. Limited is not only the first to modernize its operations, but a leader in the production and distribution of quality herbal drugs for curative purposes. These products are readily available in all the nooks and crannies of the country… Below are excerpts of the interview.
Good evening sir. Please we heard you have herbal medicine that can treat COVID-19 patient. How true is this sir?
The one we are trying to bring out will work in two dimensions: No1, it builds the immune system because every human disease fights the immune system. And once your immune system is weak or compromised, that person is prone to every infection. And once any viral infection gets into your body system and your immune system is already weak, it will break you down and this could lead to so many things.
So the kind of formulation we are trying to bring out is to build your immune system to enable it to fight any disease that arises. Because the cure is in your body. That’s why the white man says ‘prevention is better than cure’. So the cure is already in your body and that cure is your body immune system.
The principal work of the product is to build your immune system so that your body itself can fight any infectious disease. And if you watch the average number of people affected by this COVID-19, it affects the people with a weak immune system and thereby it pins down their body. And if you look at all these symptomatic of all these COVID-19, it affects people that have a weak immune system.
So what we are trying to bring out is the formulation that will build the immune system so that the body itself can fight any infectious disease.
Does that mean the drug is not available yet?
No. It will soon be out. We doing it for a large population.
Have you informed the government about this drug?
We have written a series of letters to the government. We have released some press statements. You know the kind of government we have in this country. Anything that has to do with herbal, the government of Nigeria don’t pay attention to it.
And that is why we are not moving forward because even in China where the virus was originated, the Chinese were able to curtail the virus because of their belief in traditional medicine. And what the Chinese use to curtail this coronavirus in Wuhan was the combination of their Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), together with some little other drugs. And if you look at it very well, in some African countries now, what they are using to combat this COVID-19 is herbal medicine.
So, I don’t know what is wrong with us here in Nigeria. And in Africa today, Nigeria has the highest number of herbal Sprout-Leaf Plant that is very potent and organically good. And holistically, Nigeria is so blessed with a lot of plants you can use to treat any kind of infectious disease.
And have said it many time. I said it years ago to the Federal Government that herbal medicine could generate revenue to the good economy of this country. In China, 40 per cent of the revenue comes from traditional medicine.
How long will this product of yours take to be ready?
We are looking maybe 2-3 months.
How potent is the drug sir?
It’s very potent because we are doing it in conjunction with the Ooni of Ife. It’s something we have experimented. There were some people who were confirmed to be positive of COVID-19 and we gave them the formulation to take and they were okay. So it’s something that is effective and potent.
Do you think Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) would buy into your idea sir?
Well, if they are interested. Let me be sincere with you. If they are looking for an orthodox drug that will cure this Covid-19, it may take them 2 years. I think the cure for Covid-19 can only come from herbs. Because it’s an airborne disease.
In the old days, we have various pandemic diseases. We have a cholera outbreak and during the time of cholera, it was killing a lot of people. In fact, cholera is more deadly than coronavirus because, in a house of 50 people, cholera would attack them and kill all of them. Before they could get a western medicine that could serve as a remedy, our forefathers were the first to put some herbal formulations together to fight the cholera outbreak. The same thing with smallpox and chickenpox.
So there are lots of viral infections that have happened in the past. The herbal medicine played a very key role in the curative, but the only problem in this country is that we don’t give good attention to our traditional medicine, the way it should.
Now, the federal government is giving a lot of fund to the orthodox practice, but there is no fund to develop traditional practice. Every traditional herbal practice in this country, no matter the level their operating is personal efforts.
Are you saying we now have a cure for COVID-19?
I’m saying we are bringing out the ones we have tested on people who were tested positive for COVID-19. What we are doing now is mass production and that will be ready in 2 months time. And I’m saying the cure for coronavirus will be from the natural medicine.
Let me tell you. The only medicine that can build the body immune system is natural medicine. Orthodox medicine doesn’t build the immune system. No Orthodox drug can build the immune system. And what prevents your body from every infection is your immune system.
Let me tell you this in a practical way. All diseases in the world, all viral, bacteria infections, they are body enemies. It’s like an armed robber trying to attack a beautiful house that is being guarded by soldiers. Automatically the armed robbers will come to the house and kill everybody.
But when you have a beautiful house, solidified with 20 policemen, maybe about 10 armed robbers came to attack the house. The policemen will be enough to combat them and safe the occupants of the house from being robbed. That is the way the body works. Once you have a very strong immune system, hardly you fall sick.
Hardly you can be attacked of any infectious disease. Go to the rural area now. Most of the people that live in the rural area hardly fall sick. And they have a lot of diseases there, but they don’t get sick because they have a very strong immune system. Why? Because what they eat is organic. 80 per cent of the food they eat in the rural areas are grown organically, compared to the city where most of what we eat is chemically grown.
Most of the food we buy in the market they use fertilizer to grow them. Most of the food we consume on a daily basis are inorganic food. These are the things that weaken our immune system on a daily basis.
And there is one thing I want you to understand. As you grow older your immune system depreciates. As you grow older your immune system declines. So you can’t compare your body to when you are at age 20 years to the time you are at age 50. So as a human being, the more you grow old the more your immune system declines. So you need something that would boost your immune system that will enable your body to fight a lot of infectious diseases.
People are also saying the number of women affected by COVID-19 is low compared to men. Is there any reason for that?
I don’t see any difference. It depends on the number of people that came out to do the test. And if you look at it very well, most of the people that died of the COVID-19 it’s because their immune systems is already collapse. Once your immune system is compromised or very weak, the virus destroys the body immune system. They can only destroy it when the immune system is weak. But if the body system is not weak, the body has the ability to fight any infection.
