…experts warn of adverse effects
Vivian Ikuoyenwen, a resident of Benin City, was diagnosed of malaria and typhoid in December 2023, but the costs of tablets and injections needed for her treatment were unaffordable to her.
“At one point, I had to take this native herbal medicine called ‘Agbo’ prepared by my mother and it actually worked for me, because within a few days, I was way better,” Ikuoyenwen said.
“So, as it is now, it’s like herbal medicine is the way to go, especially now that the prices of drugs are going up. To buy just Ampiclox now, you need to have enough money,” she added.
The costs of orthodox medicines are rising beyond the reach of ordinary people, The Nigerian Observer’s survey of major areas in Benin City has revealed. As such, many, like Ikuoyenwen, are switching to traditional medicines which are cheaper and easily accessible.
Our findings showed that the primary driver of the surge in patronage of traditional herbal medicines is the economic burden imposed on Nigerians by the rising inflation which manifested in the health sector in the form of escalating drug costs.
Many Nigerians, particularly those in the lower-income brackets, find it challenging to sustain the financial strain of purchasing expensive drugs when the need arises. As a result, traditional herbal remedies, otherwise known as Agbo in local parlance, are often perceived as more pocket-friendly and effective, becoming an appealing option for individuals seeking relief from various health conditions especially malaria, typhoid, cold, among other common diseases.
Our field survey showed that Augmentin 125mg, an antibiotic for children, rose over 100 per cent from N4,000 in October last year to N8,500 in January 2024.
It should be noted that traditional medicines are mostly a mixture of roots and herbs that are ubiquitous in Nigeria and are considered efficacious, although there are concerns about dosage of administration and side effects.
“The way things are going, it is better to just prevent and avoid anything that would make you fall sick, because the money for drugs alone, some people cannot afford it,” a commercial bus driver, who simply identified himself as Peter, told The Nigerian Observer team.
“That is why almost every morning, I meet this woman that sells this herbal mixture. She knows how to mix the one that will wash the system; the one that will cure malaria; the right antidote for running stomach, and even the one to keep you strong and remain active all day. And it is very cheap,” he said.
In August 2023, during the commemoration of the 2023 African Traditional Medicine Day, the Federal Government declared that 80 per cent of Nigerians used traditional medicines as a primary form of health care.
In recent years, Nigeria has been grappling with a concerning trend that is silently increasing the out-of-pocket health spend – the skyrocketing costs of drugs. This surge not only puts a strain on the wallets of ordinary citizens, but also poses a significant threat to the overall well-being of the nation.
According to some of the respondents interviewed, their preferences for traditional herbal remedies stem from the fact that they are readily available, accessible and affordable compared to pharmaceutical drugs that may require a prescription and are subject to market fluctuations.
Local markets and commercial areas across the metropolis are seen with increasingly different peddlers of these herbal medicines providing a wide array of herbs, roots, and concoctions, making it convenient for individuals to explore alternative healthcare options without the barriers associated with formal medical channels.
Meanwhile, health experts in Benin City, while accepting the efficacy of some herbal medicines, emphasize the need for regulation on the process of preparation, level of contamination and hygiene practices, dispensation and administration, with a view to ensuring the safety of citizens and to avoid causing more harm than good.
A pharmacy undergraduate in the University of Benin, Priscilla Ilo-Oghene, speaking on the use of herbal medicines as an alternative, said as much as orthodox drugs are also made from plants, the difference is that it has gone through a series of testing, experiments and analysis.
“But oftentimes, you see some people peddling these herbal mixtures, some look unclean, the containers don’t appear clean or sterilized, so it raises a cause for concern,” Ilo-Oghene said.
“Sometimes, I see them mix the concoctions of different colours with no proper measuring tool, and I can’t help but wonder how they know the exact dosage of each herbal medicine to mix that can treat a particular illness,” she said.
In June 2023, the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Christianah Mojisola Adeyeye, during a news briefing in Abuja, the nation’s capital, cautioned Nigerians to refrain from the use of dangerous and unregulated herbal preparations sold in public place across the nation.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, Prof. Adeyeye said, “For the liquid herbal concoctions, especially after four or five days, they start growing bacteria. Even if the herbal concoction has some medicinal properties, the bacteria will kill the person taking it first.
“Many of our herbal medicines work but we have to do a lot of research to show how they work, and at what level we are supposed to be taking them so that it will not get to the toxicity level.”
