The C.S.R.I.P.M

As I mentioned before, I work at the C.S.R.I.P.M. (Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine). It is the only one of its kind in Ghana.

Myself and Nick, my fellow traveler from U of M are here to work on a project looking for an herb that could be used in the labor process. One of the biggest health disparities between the US and the developing world was the Maternal Mortality= the number of women dying during childbirth. In the US it is 11 per 100,000 while in Ghana it is about 440 per 100,000. In the US we use drugs like pitocin and mitoprostal during childbirth, but these drugs are often too expensive and not widely available to Ghanaians. We are hoping to find an herb that is safe, and truly works to make deliver smoother and reduces bleeding during childbirth. It would be much more available and affordable here. Previous work hints that the herb might be Spondias Mombin.

We just harvested the herb from the tree growing in the garden in the back of the center, and we begin our experiment next week.

Some pictures of the center:

Samples of all their plants are dried, pressed, and made into samples like this to be placed in the archives of the hebarium.



Some products manufactured by the center. These are sold in their clinic after they have been tested to see if they work efficiently, toxicity levels, and appropriate dosages. They are not tinkered with, all these products are 100% plant extracts.

This is the factory where all the plant extracts are manufactured.
But I'm in Ghana!?!?! A clip from the Ghanaian newspaper.

AO