Turn Your Garden into a Healing Pharmacy for the Brain – UI Professor Urges Nigerians

A Professor of Neurosciences and Physiology at the University of Ibadan(UI), Professor Samuel Adetunji Onasanwo, has urged Nigerians to transform their gardens into therapeutic spaces by cultivating natural plants and foods that protect and heal the brain.

Delivering the 583rd Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan on behalf of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Professor Onasanwo declared that “your vineyard can be your garden of therapy” for neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and other central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

Titled “Nutraceuticals and Brain: Exploring the Neuroprotective Arsenal for Optimal Brain Function”, the lecture emphasized the critical role of nutraceuticals—natural foods and herbs with medicinal value—in protecting brain health and treating neurological diseases.

Highlighting the brain’s complex role in controlling thought, memory, emotion, vision, breathing, hunger and more, Professor Onasanwo advocated for a lifestyle rich in phytofoods—such as scent leaves, tree spinach, walnuts, and the African wonder kola—to prevent early brain degeneration and enhance cognitive function.

He pointed out that many of these foods, commonly found in Nigerian gardens and traditional medicine, possess anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, and are often used to treat conditions ranging from malaria to mental health disorders.

According to the don, “wonder kola,” often referred to as “brain food” in local parlance, is believed to slow aging and support mental health—a practice deeply rooted in Yoruba traditional beliefs about the metaphysical origins of mental illness.

He also noted that vegetables like scent leaf and tree spinach, rich in antioxidants and bioactive compounds, offer potent protection against CNS-related conditions, and called for increased consumption and conservation of these plants, including walnut trees that are fast disappearing.

Beyond personal consumption, the professor urged both the University of Ibadan and the government to invest in research and commercialization of African flora, to support the global fight against mental illness and bolster the continent’s health economy.

“The brain is sensitive to both toxins and nutrients,” Onasanwo said. “With regular consumption of nutraceuticals, cognitive behavioural therapy, exercise, proper sleep and balanced diet, we can significantly improve brain health and reduce the burden of mental health issues.”

He concluded by encouraging Nigerians to plant phytofoods in their homes and communities, adding that many of the plants referenced in his research were harvested directly from his own garden.

The lecture was the sixth in the 2024/2025 academic series at Nigeria’s premier university.