Healing is not still water. It flows, it adapts, and it never stops moving. Each era rediscovers what the one before it already knew, only with new words, new tools, and new courage to see differently. In the same way that rivers cut through ancient rock, healing carves its own path through time—connecting the roots of tradition with the blossoms of discovery.
At Cyrillic College, we have always believed that healing is not confined to what is new, nor should it be trapped in what is old. It is a dance between wisdom and progress, between the remedies of our ancestors and the verifications of science. This week, we look at how that dance is unfolding around the world, and right here at home in Nigeria.
The Reawakening of Confidence in Herbal Medicine
A recent study among final-year medical and pharmacy students in Nigeria revealed something remarkable. Nearly 9 out of 10 respondents said they do not believe herbal medicines are ineffective. This single statistic tells a story—that even within modern, science-based training, there is growing respect for the potential of traditional healing.
But the same research showed something even more important. While these students respect herbal medicine, only 24 percent believe such remedies are completely safe without scientific validation. This balance between openness and caution is exactly where the future of healthcare should stand. It tells us that young health professionals are not rejecting their cultural heritage, but are eager to see it supported by evidence, discipline, and proper study.
At Cyrillic College, this resonates deeply with our philosophy. We teach our students to appreciate that belief alone does not heal, and skepticism alone does not cure. Healing happens when the two work together—when experience is tested, and when science listens.
The Wisdom in the Forest
In another corner of Nigeria, ethnobotanical researchers recently documented 183 plant species traditionally used to treat ailments ranging from malaria and fractures to skin infections and viral diseases. These plants are not strangers to us. Many grow behind our homes, along the roadsides, and in the very markets we pass daily. Their leaves have been crushed, brewed, and applied for generations, often with astonishing results.
Yet the work of these researchers does more than catalogue plants. It preserves memory. It acknowledges that a grandmother’s herbal poultice or a village healer’s bark infusion are not folklore to be dismissed—they are knowledge systems worthy of respect, study, and preservation. This is what makes alternative medicine more than just a field of study. It is a bridge between people and their history.
For our students, this is a call to rediscover the world around them. The next breakthrough might not be invented in a lab, but rediscovered in a leaf. And as the college continues to train future practitioners, this relationship between land, plant, and person must remain sacred.
Government Attention and the Dawn of a New Era
The Federal Government of Nigeria has recently taken a major step forward by unveiling a national strategic plan and code of ethics for traditional medicine practice. The plan includes a catalogue of more than 200 medicinal plants and the introduction of structured regulatory systems to ensure that traditional medicine remains both safe and effective.
This is not merely administrative progress. It is philosophical progress. It signals that the country is beginning to view traditional healing not as a relic, but as a legitimate partner in the pursuit of health and national wellness.
For institutions like Cyrillic College, this creates an atmosphere of responsibility. We are called to prepare practitioners who are competent not only in theory, but also in ethics and evidence-based care. It also creates opportunity—to work with policymakers, researchers, and international collaborators to elevate the standards of complementary and alternative medicine across Nigeria.
Healing Is a Relationship
When we speak of healing, it is easy to think of it as something external—a plant, a pill, or a procedure. But true healing is relational. It involves the patient, the practitioner, the plant, and the purpose that binds them all.
Every good healer knows that care is more than a prescription. It is a conversation. When a healer listens deeply, nature speaks back. The art of medicine begins not with diagnosis, but with awareness. That awareness teaches us that everything living—plants, people, and even pain—has a rhythm, and that healing is learning to find that rhythm again.
As science begins to confirm the ancient power of nature, it is essential that we do not lose sight of the humility that guided our ancestors. They healed not because they understood every molecule, but because they respected the mystery. We can measure the compounds, identify the alkaloids, and map the pathways, but we must never forget the spirit that makes healing possible.
At Cyrillic College, that balance between head and heart defines our practice. We are not anti-science; we are pro-truth. We are not merely preservers of tradition; we are restorers of balance.
A Message to Our Students and Community
This week, we encourage every student, practitioner, and supporter of Cyrillic College to reflect on three questions:
- What am I learning from the old ways that can make the new ways better?
The past is not behind us—it is beneath us, holding us up. When you study traditional medicine, you are not walking backwards; you are walking with roots. - How can I make my practice a bridge, not a battlefield?
Science and spirituality are not enemies. When combined wisely, they become the wings of healing. The world is tired of division. Let us be healers of both the body and the mind. - What is my responsibility to the future?
Healing must never become a business of secrecy. It should be a legacy of generosity. Document what you know, share what you learn, and teach what you practice. That is how healing survives.
Closing Thoughts
Healing in motion means learning, unlearning, and relearning. It means finding meaning in both evidence and experience. It is not about choosing between the laboratory and the herbal garden—it is about finding the bridge that connects them.
The more we study, the more we realize that nature has always been ahead of us. Our ancestors were not primitive. They were observant. They listened, experimented, and passed on what worked. The difference now is that we have the tools to prove, refine, and preserve their wisdom.
The next chapter of medicine is not written in opposition to the old; it is written in harmony with it. The more we honour that connection, the stronger our healing becomes.
So this week, let us move with healing. Let us practice it, not preach it. Let us study with humility, teach with conviction, and heal with both hands—one grounded in evidence, the other guided by empathy.
Because healing, after all, is not a subject we teach. It is a way we live.
Cyrillic College of Homeopathy and Holistic Health Sciences
Bridging Wisdom and Evidence for a Healthier World