The African Centre for Herbal Research, Ilorin (ACHRI), will soon take off at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN). An initiative of the U6 Consortium, the Centre will be headed by a Prof of Botany, Food Science and Phytochemical from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Cape Town, South Africa, Learnmore Kambizi.

The centre, which will be domiciled in the UNILORIN Central Research Laboratory, will conduct research on African flora; organise workshops; collate research proposals for funding; advise government on issues related to exploitation of African herbal resources and maintain the research laboratory.

Pending Kambizi's resumption, Prof Moji Taibat Bakare-Odunola of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UNILORIN will coordinate the activities of the Centre.

Prof. Bakare-Odunola said six hectares of farmlands for six herbs have been identified, cleared, harrowed and cultivated to supply the centre with materials for initial research.

The six herbs selected for their medicinal and nutritional properties include zingiber officinale (ginger), hibiscuss sabdariffa (rosette), telfaria occidentalis (flutted pumpkin), moringa oleifera (moringa), ocimum gratissimum (sweet basil) and vernomia amygdalina (bitter leaf).