Medecine traditionnelle et lutte contre la Covid-19 au Cameroun

Background: Since late December in 2019, the Coronavirus disease 2019 has received extensive attention for its widespread prevalence and mortality rate. A number of researchers have made great efforts to understand the pathogenesis and clinical characteristics and develop effective drugs for treatment. It is just recently that vaccines have been discovered, however with not yet great impact against the pandemic.At a time of resurgence of a second wave of the pandemic, questions persist about the low impact of the pandemic in Africa. Objectives: This study aims to highlight the impact of traditional medicine in the fight against Covid-19 in Cameroon. Method: To achieve this objective, data were collected using semi-structured interviews within the traditional medicines laboratory of the Archdiocese of Douala and other laboratories across Cameroon. In addition to semi-directive surveys, an online survey was conducted in order to grasp population’s perceptions and attitudes towards pharmacopoeia. Results: Traditional Cameroonian medicine has gained abundant experience in the treatment of infectious diseases for thousands of years. Cameroonians suffering from Covid-19 resort to traditional medicine and most of them have made use of the Cameroonian pharmacopoeia. This might constitute one of the major reasons for the low impact of covid-19 in Cameroon. Conclusion: Traditional medicine has appeared to be a real treatment against covid-19 in Cameroon. It is therefore imperative to standardize it and enhance its value.