The Zayed Complex for Herbal Research and Traditional Medicine is a botanist’s dream.
Every cupboard is crammed with dried herbs and every shelf filled with jars of obscure-looking seeds and plants.
The pungent smell of rich foliage is almost overwhelming and fills every room in the cavernous complex.
To the unassuming, there are no obvious indications that this apothecary-type place is an important weapon in the country’s fight against illegal and dangerous medicines.
Its research library is already filled with more than 4,000 dried samples that have been tested for their efficacy and toxicity.
The herbs, which grow naturally in the Emirates, can be used for anything from diabetes and asthma to eczema and digestive problems.
The centre was set up on the instructions of Sheikh Zayed, the founding President of the UAE, and has drawn up an encyclopedia of the nation’s medicinal plants as a reference guide for doctors.
“We want to make it safe by using scientific, evidence-based research,” says Dr Mazen Ali Naji, general manager of the centre and a trained doctor.
“We want it to be safe – no one should take chances. [Plants] can be very useful if they are used properly.”
The centre is now planning a quality control lab to test and report on the huge numbers of existing and new herbal medicines entering the market.
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Recently a growing number of people have taken advantage of the trust put in herbal remedies.
It is not uncommon for modern “herbal medicines” to contain chemicals, Dr Naji says, which goes against the main principle of natural products.
“People will lose trust in the herb and say it’s not effective,” Dr Naji says. “If they are taking something in the wrong quantities or mixing with other things, it may not work, or worse, it could do harm.”
The complex is heavily involved in regulating, testing and inspecting herbal products. It receives samples from the country’s health authorities and, based on the results, the relevant authority will decide whether it should be on sale.
Many Emiratis still shun modern medicines in favour of those used by their ancestors.
The relationship between beliefs and heritage is particularly strong in the Middle East, Dr Naji explains, and younger generations still trust herbal remedies used by their parents and grandparents.
Some traditional remedies use garlic or sesame oil, while others use less well-known plants that grow naturally in the desert, mountains or wadis.
The sidr tree, for example, is used to treat chest and stomach problems. The kufer plant, which grows on dry slopes and damp areas of the mountains in the northern emirates and Al Ain, is used as a laxative and diuretic.
Volume one of the encyclopedia contains around 30 plants. Each listing includes a physical description, traditional uses, chemical components and details of any previous scientific studies. It is the first volume of many, Dr Naji
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