Hmmm…This tea is full and a bit long so kindly grab a sit let your tongue enjoy a slow sip.
..… So you’re probably reading this at home due to partial or as some of our European friends call it, intelligent lockdown, full lockdown or perhaps even quarantine mode if you were already exposed to the popular corona virus aka covid19. You probably also know that the deadly virus which invades the respiratory track of infected people has impacted the whole world, leaving economies and organisations in scrambling positions.

What is less popular in this current pandemic is the specific reason why some regions are more hit than others, despite almost all of them atleast trying to observe the lauded protocols of social distancing and hand washing/sanitizing. Nigeria happens to be one of the regions experiencing a slow spread with deaths barely over 22 as at April 20th, 2020, a high recovery index at least currently and a total confirmed case of a few hundreds compared to its almost 200 million population.

While experts are currently undecided as to the real reason for the slow spread, we at Enchanting Naturals thought to write this article so readers can brainstorm together and explore some interesting thoughts with us. Could it be the Nigerian climate, physical features , food, etc. that is helping to naturally combat the disease? The rate at which Covid-19 is spreading across most of the developed world when compared to Nigeria is probably as a grain of salt to the whole bag so we know for sure its not because our health care systems or other systems for that matter are more techy.

Infact many Nigerians would agree these sectors are quite deplorable if not even laughable…make sure you check out our next post on a personal narration of a Corona Virus scare experience and our health care system. Ok lets go on….

Wild Fire Spread of Covid19 Anticipated and Feared in Africa and Nigeria

The W.H.O have expressed repeated concerns over the fear of how quickly the Covid virus can spread in Africa due to conditions which Nigeria as we already mentioned above embody to a T. Maybe our bodies are now used to fighting illness….ok lets look at this together briefly.
Regarding our physical body make up, Nigerians survive malaria and other illnesses which can result in fatalities in others not used to them so could that have created a stronger immune or anti-bodies? This is worthy of thought because even with the world on shutdown many Nigerians are quite frankly less worried about the possibility of contracting the disease and are more concerned with making a living during the lockdown, so daily hustlers still come out, although in smaller numbers.

Nigeria was also one of the last countries to do anything about border closure because of its huge dependence on foreign investments. People came into Nigeria from highly affected countries many rarely observing the quarantine period with some infected people even hiding away. Our data base makes the idea of contact tracing very funny because we literally have at best a skeletal database. While public gatherings are not encouraged, some Nigerians managed to hold parties, not to mention the interesting gathering at the recent Chief of Staff funeral.

• 

• 

• 

Truly there has been and continues to be dozens of opportunities for the Covid virus to blaze like wild wire on a dry farm through the 200million population of Nigeria..
What could the slow rate of spreading be attributed to then? The temperature could certainly be a factor as scientists now claim UV rays in the sun can break down the DNA of most viruses including that of Covid19. On a juicier palatable note, however perhaps it is our spices, maybe a combination of the sun and the “hot, often herbal and medicinal food” prepared by the hundreds of ethnic groups in Nigeria that is the real seal of immunity or at least slow spread.

Talk about Tongue, Bellies and Possibilities; We at Enchanting Naturals are always interested in the rich, diverse health and beauty possibilities embedded in ethnic culture so we Explored the goodness of Nigerian spices in relation to the Corona virus aka Covid 19.
Since Covid-19 became a pandemic, testing facilities in Nigeria have not been available to all and many of those who had access to tests and whose results was positive were returnees from a foreign country, notably some elites in the ruling class.

One can hardly find the average Nigerian who complains of cough and flu that will resort to testing against the virus. We do not have a solid or conclusive database that can check the health status of everyone to know who has it or not. And besides, some have tested positive and within a short period of time tested negative and recovered. Many of us in Nigeria do not rely fully on governmental assistance or health care due to previous history of misappropriation and distrust. It is not uncommon to find pregnant women visiting the clinic for antenatal while also getting treatment from traditional ethnic pregnancy care places, or people treating malaria in the clinic then following with a bout of serious Agbo drink of other ethnic malaria drink.

Why, even the governor of Oyo State who tested positive then negative after some days attested to using a concoction of black seed and ethnic teas as part of his treatment. While not sure about the role of all the above we at least know for a fact that many viruses including the Covid 19 strain do not thrive in alkaline environments, which is one of the effects of many Nigerian herbs, and native ethnic spices.

A traditional bowl of pepper soup for example typically contains up to seven spices that are proven to treat the common flu, are used for traditional pneumonia treatments and help newly delivered women easily transcend post natal health complications. The same applies to soups like banga or palm oil soup, white egusi pepper soup from Delta State known to help people heal faster after a surgery, ewedu among the yoruba known to aid digestion and intestinal support , amala known to aid in care for diabetics among a host of others used in traditional medicine to boost immune, treat respiratory diseases, treat digestive diseases while still managing to weave themselves into delicious food recipes eaten on a daily basis. Talk about taking multivitamins daily while savouring your tongue with flavour and without swallowing pills..

While more research needs to be done on these correlations there is definitely a lot of good richness found in Nigerian foods that call for more in-depth exploration which may reveal findings that will aid health experts in fighting pandemics of these nature. Even better perhaps would be research into these spices and the traditional medicine often considered exotic and ineffective by modern science. One of our team members who had a corona virus scare attested to feeling better after taking pepper soup filled with a spice called Ere among the Urhobo ethnic group in Nigeria. The spice is known to ease mucus congestion in the lungs and often found in traditional pneumonia medicine. More info on that in our next post.

In the mean time though while we stay at home, why not stock up on Nigerian spices and experiment with some of the recipes we have included as a free pdf that will be sent to your email on subscription. Spices can be bought online regardless of destination and we have included some sample places or they can be bought in person in local African shops.

If you’re in Naija now is the time to stock up properly by visiting the market. Who knows maybe if you do come in contact with a weakened version of the virus courtesy of Mr Nigerian sun, you get home and you take a bowl of hot medicinal yet sweet Nigerian food.. you sleep and your newly fortified body then destroys Uncle Covid19 and the next day you have no idea how close you even came. Think about it and while freely browsing the shop session on this site for some our ethnic spices or other ethnic collections.

At the very least your belly will be well filled, your tongue will be delighted, your body’s PH will be better and less prone to diseases whether Covid19 or not and you may even lose some weight especially belly fat if that’s your goal as many of these spices target the digestive and respiratory systems in particular. In the meantime stay home as much as you can, stay safe, eat well and we will all come out of this stronger and healthier.

Don’t forget to get to use the subscribe button and drop your email to get a FREE copy of our selected Tongue Watering and healthy Nigerian recipes pdf in your inbox in less than 24hrs. Remember to check spam as new emails sometimes get stuck there.

Don’t miss the next post on a personal corona virus experience and please, tell us your thoughts we love to hear from you.

Do you believe a combination of the sun and spices in Nigeria are contributory to the slow spread of the covid19 virus?

Till our next post always remember our daily positive words;
You are enough

Article written by Maya and Sadiq…With love from Enchanting Naturals..