PATIENTS are travelling from as far as New York and Oslo to seek out a Blackburn doctor’s alternative cures.

At the Bios NatureCure Clinic in Darwen Street, Dr Dos Adele is carrying on a practice that started over a century ago.

The store was opened in 1905 by a Professor Eglan from Blackburn.

When he died, many of his traditional herbs and medicine books were left in the basement.

Dr Adele, who bought the shop in 1984 and now runs it with his wife Karen, says Professor Eglan’s spirit lives on in the building.

Five years before he bought the Blackburn shop, Dr Adele had a serious accident which left him in a coma for six weeks; he also has partial loss of sight in his right eye.

“All this occurred just four months before my finals at London University where I was studying sciences,” he said.

“In the event, with much determination, I managed to get my first BSc degree in biochemistry and applied physiology.

“Studying for this degree opened my eyes to the stepping stone of marrying the two fields of bio-chemistry and botany together to harness the wonderful power of nature to heal and treat the sick.

“Once he made a recovery, Dr Adele enrolled with the College of Natural Therapy, trained in naturopathy, herbal medicine and homeopathic medicine and also did further studies in anatomy and physiology.

“Then I began to investigate the old wives’ tales and folklore medicines about herbs and their uses in treating illnesses and diseases. With my scientific knowledge, I set out to investigate three things – the structure of the plant, the uses and benefits and mechanism of action – meaning what is in this specimen that actually makes it work as a medicine. I learnt another thing: many of the old wives’ tales and the folklore medicine do work.

“Dandelion coffee is one of the oldest wives’ tales around. Research done by professors across the globe always find that it is the best thing. It is full of potassium, it is a diuretic which is good for circulation, bowels and kidneys.

“Whoever came up with the idea that eight glasses of water a day are needed is wrong. It affects your blood cells and flushes out the iron from the body.”

Dr Adele now lives in Wilpshire, and is a member of the Research Council for Complementary Medicine and says the most common problems he deals with are skin related, such as eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis.

At his childhood home in Nigeria his family used herbs and resins to treat medical conditions.

“I had come north because of the high instances of cancer mortality in the region with other constitutional diseases.

“When I moved north from London whilst carrying out research I met Professor Eglan’s daughter, Dorothy, who had taken over her father’s herbalist shop during his illness and then carried on the business after his death.

“Dorothy used to order herbs for me during my research and I would interpret for her what vitamins were for. This was the age before the internet and this information was not easily available,” said Dr Adele.

“When Dorothy told me she was retiring and selling up, it was a natural progression for me to buy the premises and set up my clinic. After all, the building had been steeped in all things herbal and traditional medicine for almost a century. It was like stepping back in time with all the old pharmacy equipment and I swear Professor Eglan’s spirit is still here.

“It has always been a deep regret that I was never able to meet Professor Eglan, because from the work notes and documents he left behind, he truly was a remarkable and intellectual man.”

Dr Adele says he can diagnose a condition from a single urine sample: “I do a biochemical analysis which is a detailed procedure that gets to the root cause of a person’s problem.”

He says he has helped women with fertility problems, treated IBS sufferers and released cancer sufferers from pain. He has his own range of natural products, including ‘life-changing’ supplements and chemical-free deodorants, a popular option for women.

“The NHS are not against alternative therapy, but unfortunately there are many problems with budgets. I am sometimes the last option for desperate patients who can’t find an answer from their own GP.

“I have found great personal satisfaction in working in the field of alternative medicine and I believe that this is where the future lies.

“I believe that it will be beneficial when the three can work together – that is the conventional, the alternative and the complementary for the good of the health seeker.”