Herbal medicine: Natural and safe?

Herbs have served as a source of food, shelter and a mean by which people treat different ailments since time immemorial. Many pharmaceutical drugs that are in use today were derived from herbs. For example. Quinine was derived from Cinchona bark, aspirin from willow bark to name a few

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The world health organization[WHO] estimated that 80 % of developing nations which are mostly in Africa depends on herbs for their primary healthcare. Some of the factors attributed to this include:

• The high and increasing cost of pharmaceutical drugs.
• Claims by people who use these herbs that they have healing power and are effective in treatment of chronic diseases that may have defy orthodox medicine. It is not uncommon to find someone for example, using herbal medicine base on the " testimony" of a friend, a relative etc. that " it work for me"
• Lack of access to modern healthcare service.
• High level and unregulated advertisement over the radio, television, social media and via megaphone mounted on vehicles by vendors who travel across villages, towns and cities convincing people that a particular herbal medicine can cure myriad of ailments.
• Erroneous belief that herbs being natural are safe and not toxic. This erroneous belief have sent many to their early grave.

Studies have revealed that herbal medicines although natural can also be toxic, damaging the liver, kidney when consumed indiscreetly. Poisons are also derived from herbs.

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According to WHO(2001), in term of carcinogenicity,the toxicological potential of natural plant chemicals is almost the same with those of synthetic chemicals.

A research conducted on " Yoyo cleaner Bitters" a Nigeria herbal product which has almost become a household name in the southwestern part of the country due to advertisement over the media and the attending acceptability by the populace,is capable of elevating plasma levels of liver enzyme and inducing hypokalemia. It has also been reported that some registered herbal products in Nigeria contain toxic metal above United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Oral Component Limit(OCL) and therefore poses danger to health of individual who uses them.

Also, there have been report from some quarters that unscrupulous producers of herbal medicines add to their products orthodox drugs in the hope that it would cure the ailments of their customers. It is worrisome to know that many herbal medicine marketed in Africa has not been subjected to processes that certify their safety, quality and efficacy.

To be continued in my next post. Until then , steemians beware of indiscriminate use of herbal medicine that it is natural does not always mean it is safe.
Thanks for reading my post.

References:

[1] Ekeanyanwu C.R(2011). Traditional Medicine in Nigeria: Current Status and the future. Research J.of pharmacology;5(6): 90-94

[2] Gilani,A.H; N. Aziz, S.Ali and M.Saeed,(2000. pharmacological basis for the use of peach leaves in constipation. J. Ethanopharmacol; 73: 87-93

[3] Carmen- Kasperek M. The state of herbal medicine in canada. Drug formation journal 1993;27:155-159

[4] Moshi Mj. Current and future prospects of integrating traditional and alternative medicine in the management of diseases in Tanzania. Tanzania Health research Bulletin 2005; 7(3): 159-167

[5] Moulds RFW, McNeil J.J (1998). Herbal preparations to regulate or not to regulate? Med. J. 149;572-574

[6] Oshikoya KA, Senbajo IO, Njokanma OF, Soipe (2008) A. Use of complementary and alternative medicines for children with chronic health conditions in Lagos. BMC Complimentary and Alternative Medicine . 8:66