With the cost of essential goods, including orthodox medicines, continuing to spiral upwards unabated amidst a troubled economy, more and more Nigerians are turning to traditional medicines which are cheaper and more easily accessible.
Studies indicate that a variety of herbal medicines and applications, crude or refined, are commonly used across much of Nigeria.
Many of these are for the treatment of conditions such as malaria fever, typhoid fever, allergies, asthma, eczema, premenstrual syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraine, menopausal symptoms, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer, among others.
When people fall ill, they naturally want the best remedies possible. If the cost of the best remedies is too far above their heads, then they seek out affordable alternatives and this is where traditional and herbal medicines come in.
Traditional and herbal medicines have a broad range of characteristics and elements which earn them the working definition from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Traditional medicines are diverse health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs that incorporate plant, animal and/or mineral-based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises which are applied singularly or in combination to maintain well-being, as well as to treat, diagnose or prevent illness.
In developed countries, traditional medicine has been adapted outside its indigenous culture to “Complementary” or “Alternative” medicine.
These applications are popular among Nigerians but many appear to be ignorant of the potential toxicities. As such, it may be necessary to evaluate the safety, efficacy and quality of herbal medicines and their products through randomised clinical trial studies.
Public enlightenment programmes about safe use of herbal medicines may be necessary as a means of minimising the potential adverse effects.
Globally, people developed unique indigenous healing traditions adapted and defined by their culture, beliefs and environment, which satisfied the health needs of their communities over centuries.
The increasing widespread use of traditional medicines has prompted the WHO to promote the integration of traditional medicine and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) into the national health-care systems of some countries and to encourage the development of national policy and regulations as essential indicators of the level of integration of such medicine within a national health-care system.
Over 80 per cent of the populations in some Asian and African countries depend on traditional medicine for primary health care. The WHO estimates that in many developed countries, 70-80 per cent of the population has used some form of alternative or complementary medicine including Ayurvedic, homeopathic, naturopathic, traditional oriental, and Native American Indian medicine. It is also recognised by the WHO that herbal medicines are the most popular form of traditional medicine, and are highly lucrative in the international medicine market.
Annual revenues in Western Europe were estimated as $5 billion in 2003-2004, in China the revenue was estimated as $14 billion in 2005, and in Brazil it was $160 million in 2007.
Despite the widespread use of herbal medicines globally and their reported benefits, they are not completely harmless. The indiscriminate, irresponsible or non-regulated use of several herbal medicines may put the health of their users at risk of toxicity.
Also, there is limited scientific evidence from studies done to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of many traditional medicine products and practices.
Adverse reactions have been reported to herbal medicines when used alone or concurrently with conventional or orthodox medicines.
Despite the international diversity and adoption of traditional medicine in different cultures and regions, there is no parallel advance in international standards and methods for its evaluation. National policies and regulations also are lacking for traditional medicine in many countries and where these are available.
It is difficult to fully regulate traditional medicine products, practices and practitioners due to variations in definitions and categorisations of therapies.
Lack of knowledge of how to sustain and preserve the plant populations and how to use them for medicinal purposes is a potential threat to traditional medicine sustenance.
It has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that many traditional medicines have efficacy and produce the desired healing or soothing. The challenge, in many cases, are those unstated or indeterminate dosage, toxicity and side effects.
The onus then lies with the regulators and other stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and pharmaceutical research institutes to roll up their sleeves and work towards further understanding, categorisation, measurement and control of traditional and herbal medicines for the well-being of Nigerians and all of mankind.
