Ààbò àti ìlera (Health and protection) Yorùbá traditional medicine.

Health care system has been known in the Yorùbá land before the coming of the Europeans. In the olden days, the traditional medicine was highly valued and adopted among the Yorùbás. According to Awolalu, traditional medicine is the art of using the available forces of nature to prevent diseases and to restore and preserve health.

The Yorùbá people have a way of rescuing themselves from various available diseases through the use of herbs, powerful, mysterious or potent words, animal parts, living and non living things, water, fasting, prayers, and other rituals of restoration of the harmony among the people and the environment.

Before the introduction of western medicine, the oníségùn (physician), occupied an important place in the society. This is because the traditional medicine was the only available source of healing diseases and it was effectively used in the society.