The safe use of herbal medicine has become a critical issue in the country in recent years following the increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases such as kidney and liver diseases.
While some practitioners advertise a wide range of treatments in both open and dark corners of cities and towns, there is no certainty about their safety.
They come as alternatives to orthodox prescriptions, with an affordable value and the added benefit depends on the psychologically recognized potency of the topical drugs.
Head of Research and Innovation at the Center for Herbal Medicine Research (CPMR), Dr Kofi Donkor, said all herbal medicines, like any other form of medicine, are potentially
poison.
He said their safety depended on whether they were approved and then taken according to the recommended dosage.
“Due to financial issues, people who have some information about herbs, such as the fact that neem can clear malaria, prepare ‘potential poison’ in the name of herbal medicine without following prescribed scientific procedures for preparation and approval,” said Dr. Donkor. .
“Some (herbal medicinal knowledge) is handed down from one generation to another and the formulas are not declared for fear that they may lose revenue if the intellectual property is shared.
“Unlike controlled pharmaceutical drugs, some herbal products often lack standardization in terms of dosage, purity and strength, adequate labeling and the absence of adequate patient information,” he said.
Dr Donkor said people making preparations that were not under the purview of regulators were either not providing the recommended dose or had no scientific support for the doses they were prescribing.
He therefore called on the public to ensure that all medicines they patronize, especially herbal medicines, are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Equally important, we must also ensure that we strictly adhere to the prescribed dosage to avoid any adverse effects,” he stressed.
Caution
CPMR’s Head of Research and Innovation also warned the public not to buy even approved herbal medicines from dubious sources and said that all herbal medicines approved by the FDA underwent rigorous verification procedures before approval was given to ensure safety during compliance with the dosage.
He said such drugs can be accessed from all approved pharmacies and other accredited drug stores.
“If we do these two safety things, we should be fine with any herbal or orthodox medicine. The abuse of herbal medicines is a problem that stakeholders are struggling with. The best we can do and have done is to educate the public on the responsible use of herbal medicines,” added Dr Donkor.
Abuse
Like many other drugs, health experts say abuse can mean taking an overdose of licensed or unlicensed herbal medicines either intentionally under the mistaken belief of enhancing effectiveness.
Others also have the perception that it was natural and had no side effects.
Other forms of abuse include taking herbal medicines that have not been scientifically tested and approved.
Itinerant traders
Checks by the Daily Graphic, especially monitoring the operations of itinerant herbal medicine vendors, have proven that herbal medicines have gained popularity in modern times because they are believed to be natural, without side effects.
Kofi Agyeman, an itinerant herbal medicine trader who operates the ‘Last Stop Yareɛ’ at Tema station in Accra, was heard saying that one of the three medicines he sold could cure malaria, typhoid fever among other diseases.
He said he had others for hypertension, diabetes, piles, joint pain, among others.
Like some others noticed by the Daily Graphic, their advertising message was that the medicines were purely herbal and therefore had no side effects.
They claimed that if someone used their medication and it did not cure the condition or the patient experienced side effects, they could return for a full refund.
Another, who introduced himself as an Elder, also had a similar message about his medication, which he said cured diabetes.
Coffey also sold an herbal aphrodisiac and had a similarly persuasive message of “no side effects because it’s purely plant-based.”
Specialist position
A consultant physician and kidney specialist at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital’s Department of Medicine, Dr Winfred Baa, said people were mixing preparations for people to take without any scientific basis.
“People are just mixing concoctions in the name of making herbal medicines and deceiving people that herbs have no or very few side effects,” he said.
He said cases of kidney disease are increasing, especially among the younger generation, due to abuse of drugs and herbal medicines, and recommended that everyone should get regular check-ups, maintain a healthy lifestyle and make conscious efforts to maintain a healthy kidney.
Dr. Baah explained that most orthodox medicines were made from herbs, which contained some level of toxins, so doses and expiration dates were given to prevent abuse that could lead to complications.
“It is necessary to have full knowledge of the medicines we take. Consult your doctor for expert advice on the medicines you are taking, both orthodox and herbal,” he said, adding that “people with kidney disease should be more careful with medicines.”
Dr Baah said people with chronic kidney disease, liver failure and other chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and hepatitis should be careful in using herbal medicines as residues from herbal medicines could complicate such conditions.
He said, apart from the physical pain involved, treating kidney disease was time-consuming and financially draining, and therefore, required every effort to reduce vulnerability.
WHO concerns
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that as the global use of herbal medicinal products continues to increase and many more new products are introduced to the market, public health issues and safety concerns are also increasingly recognized.
He said that although some herbal medicines had promising potential and were widely used, many of them remained untested and their use was also not monitored, making knowledge of their potential negative effects very limited.
Traditional and alternative medicine have been proven to be powerful and reliable and are currently being adopted into the local health care delivery system.
However, the abuse of herbal preparations also results in a high prevalence of kidney and liver diseases, especially among the young.
Interventions
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CRPM have improved research into herbal medicines.
The introduction of a degree program in herbal medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) may have increased credibility in the use of herbal medicines in Ghana.
However, health experts explained that many herbal medicines on the open market have no scientific basis for their preparation and required dosage, so their safety is not guaranteed.
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