Irin-Ajo Eda and its celebration of Yoruba science, tradition, by Michael Olatunbosun |

The book titled: “Irin Ajo Eda: Akojopo Ewe ati Egbo Fun Orisirisi Aisan Ati Ipenija,” seeks to help solve human health and wellbeing challenges with herbs and roots. The book is written in Yoruba by ace broadcaster Ambassador Lukman Tijani. The book was published in 2025 by Xetiquette books in Ibadan.

This book is predicated on the premise that over the years, human beings have been beset by all kinds of illnesses and challenges which should have been cured or solved by roots and herbs. But these problems now overwhelm us because we refuse to pay attention to the practices of our forefathers in confronting the issues with roots and herbs. So this book is compiled to open the eyes of mankind to the ubiquitous solutions that nature has provided. It is essentially a celebration of the culture and tradition of the Yoruba, and those of us who proudly celebrate our culture. (See Dedication – Ifisori).

The author, Lukman Tijani, is not pretending to know all. He here pays homage to the herbal medicine practitioners whose shoulders he climbed to reach this revelation and height. And there are eleven of them, both male and female, lay and clergy, that he acknowledges in this book.

So in this book, you find a huge rich list of common and not-so-common ailments that have simple herbal and root solutions. Things as simple as termite, reptile (especially snake) and mosquito repellents, solution to irregular menstruation (Nnkan osu to n se segesege), and sexually transmitted infections and diseases (kokoro ibalopo), dog bite, jedijedi (pile), among many others.

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For the uninformed and uninitiated, solving human existential problems like favour with herbal mixtures can be unthinkable. Some of them include Eyonu (favour), Aanu (mercy), and how to unlock spells – all with herbal and root resources. There are solutions for memory restoration (ogun isoye) too, including ulcer (ogbe inu) and debt clearance (gbese sisan). But you need to open this book to find the fascinating array of ingredients and preparation instructions to understand that our forefathers were divinely gifted. 

The book, Irin-Ajo Eda also has succours for cardiac-related problems like high blood pressure, hypertension and stroke. You also have solution for frequent urination, high blood sugar and diabetes. 

In this book, you also find herbs and roots for solutions to skin irritation, bedwetting, eye sight ailments like cataract, glaucoma and blurry vision. And if you are into business, and business is no moving as you desire, then this book has some nuggets for you.

While reading this book, a couple of questions jumped to my mind. One of the main queries that I have is this: Why did the author start with that one that he put as number one? You know what I mean. The book appears to be mainly inspired by something that most men (either married or unmarried) are struggling with. It is something that has to do with “the other room”.

I know that this book is basically provoked by the countless questions that the author has to face on his radio programme of the same title as the book, Irin-Ajo Eda. But I want to believe that the author must have paid this much attention to “the other room” subject because the many questions from his audience members who are super challenged by the need to live up to demands in that area. In fact, I counted and lost count. But here are some of them: Weak or shrunk “something”, libido enhancement, low sperm count, and so on. 

Ultimately, this book is a thoroughly researched work and the author has done creditably well in compiling these nuggets for the benefit of all and sundry. 

But most importantly, it is a celebration of the culture, tradition and science of the Yoruba race preserved orally for posterity. We have our forefathers to thank for their application of native knowledge leveraging natural herbs and roots for solving our health and wellbeing challenges. As I read the book, however, a nagging question that ran through my mind is: how can we be sure that this book will not be misapplied by the over-zealous who might take the book as a basis for exploiting the vulnerable? Again, is this book a response to the call for standardisation in the arena of herbal/alternative medicine in Nigeria?

. Olatunbosun, broadcast journalist, fact-checker and book reviewer at Splash FM 105.5, can be reached via 08023517565 (SMS and WhatsApp only) and miketunbosun74@gmail.com.

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