… it begun on 25th January, 1986. The pharmacist Dr. Hans-Martin Hirt from Winnenden and his Congolese fellow Bindanda M'Pia founded “action for natural medicine”. Why? At that time patients in Zaire had two alternatives: The “modern” or the “traditional” medicine. The MODERN MEDICINE (“white”, “imported”, “industrial” medicine) was well dosed, hygienic, scientific … but for poor people unreachable and expensive. The TRADITIONAL MEDICINE (“black”, “local” medicine of the ancestors) was easily reachable, the plants grow on the ground (at location) and the healer spoke the language of the population … but for Christians this medicine was not acceptable, often unscientific, and often unhygienic.

What to do?  M´Pia and Hirt founded the alternative, called anamed, abbreviation for “action for natural medicine”. It should combine the advantages of both medicine systems. A medicine from local plants but without witchcraft. A medicine acceptable for the professor at the university as well as for a healer and an illiterate in a jungle village. A medicine acceptable for the White and for Africans.

M'Pia and Hirt wrote their first book in 1991 and showed the most important 60 medicinal plants on a  poster. Contrary to their expectations the book was translated into many other languages. Today it is an international core literature of help for self-help for tropical sicknesses.

Because of the worldwide demand Volume 2 has been published as a seminar booklet, volume 3 as a resource kit for teachers and volume 4 on the topic “Natural Medicine and AIDS”. Additionally further books have been published on different main topics e.g. on the subjects Neem and Conservation (117), Solar Energy for Drying of Medicinal Plants etc (116), Artemisia (202, 203, 204, 207), Moringa (423, 419, 420, 423) and the danger of mercurial cosmetic (201 in English, 206 in French).

To our own amazement our publications are as well ordered as our plant products. Meanwhile they are no more ordered by workers of development cooperation and missionaries only but much more from European patients and hospitals. Thank you very much!