Kampala, Uganda: The Uganda Cancer Institute’s Centre for Natural Therapeutics (CENAT) has listed seven herbal products as promising support options in the prevention, treatment, and symptom management of cancer, marking a major milestone in Uganda’s integration of traditional medicine with conventional oncology.
Dr Boniface Adeka, head of CENAT and a senior pharmacist, said the remedies are currently under scientific review but have shown encouraging pre-clinical outcomes. The products, unveiled during Science Week at Kololo, target early-stage intervention, immune support, tumour shrinkage, and relief from side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
“The first product is Prostanat, a tincture designed to prevent and treat prostate cancer in men over 45,” Dr Adeka revealed. “It arrests the malignant process in its formative stages.”
Another formula, Immunonat, helps patients rebuild white blood cell counts after chemotherapy, providing a low-cost alternative to expensive imported injections that range between UGX 400,000 and UGX 700,000 per dose. “Our Immunonat can be made available at UGX 15,000,” Dr Adeka said. “This is a game-changer for survival and affordability.”
Babra Nakintu, the lead laboratory scientist at CENAT, cautioned that the products are not stand-alone cures but support tools. “Some stage-four patients, having exhausted conventional options, are turning to these products for palliative care,” she said. “Their antioxidant properties help improve quality of life.”
Other innovations include:
Muconat – for treating painful mouth-to-anus sores caused by chemotherapy
Mamanat – designed to prevent and reduce breast cancer tumours
Laxanat – relieves morphine-induced constipation
Herbal mouthwash – prevents oral infections in cancer patients and
Cancer wound ointment – effective even on antibiotic-resistant wounds
Dr Adeka appealed to the government and development partners to fund clinical trials. “We are not opposing modern medicine,” he emphasized. “We are saying that Uganda can contribute to the global cancer fight through cost-effective, locally developed therapeutics.”
Source: Monitor
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