Herbal Drinks: Killers in Sachets and Cans

By Dapo Olawuni |

The influx of herbal drinks into the Nigerian market and society has over the years become worrisome.

The challenge is multi prongs; one part is the fairly regulated herbal drinks which are actually licensed by the National Agency for Foods Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the second category is unregulated herbal substances sold in shots and measurements.

The manufacturers of these drinks thrive on the ignorance and fear of an average Nigerian man who takes pride in the sterility of his manhood, sexual capability and would not want to perform below expectation at any opportunity.

This has emboldened more producers of herbal products to flood the market, even though our correspondent gathered that the NAFDAC numbers written on them are fake. This has given a cause for worry as to the effectiveness of the role of the apex regulatory agency.

Products most popular at the market are; Kerewa, Alomo, Ogidiga, Opa eyin, Gbola, Agbara, Origin bitters, bazooka, among others. The function of these drinks is simply to prolong ejaculation during sex and to increase libido in men.

A significant number of those products do not also comply with NAFDAC regulations and, in some of them investigated by our correspondent, the ingredients were either not listed or their concentrations inaccurately reported.

Investigation by our correspondent at one of the companies manufacturing these drinks showed that some unknown chemicals, ethanol and roots are mixed together as ingredients to produce the herbal drinks.

TO GO WITH THE STORY BY ADEROGBA OBISESAN
A man holds bottle of local “viagra” drinks for sale in Lagos on March 19, 2014. Hundreds of hawkers ply the burstling streets of Lagos and other Nigerian towns and cities selling local “viagra” drinks, despite their unknown and untested effects on male sex drive. Medical professionals have warned that rather enhancing sexual prowess, regular users could be putting their long-term health at risk. AFP PHOTO/PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP PHOTO / PIUS UTOMI EKPEI

A retailer who identified himself as Mr Victor Agim said that sometimes, most of the manufacturers of the herbal drinks illegally adulterate them with some pharmaceuticals to increase the effectiveness of the herbal product, especially for “Manpower”

The second category of herbal medicines are the unregulated ones sold in kiosks at road sides and all car parks and garages in Nigeria. It has become an aphrodisiac for motorists, conductors and touts and street urchins.

Unlike the herbal drinks manufactured in plastic cans, this category are roots that is either soaked with water or ethanol.

Investigation showed that they are equally meant to address the same challenge of sexual weakness in men as a well as a whole lot of other inadequacies in the body.

Some of them have names ranging from their functions; Jedi Jedi, opa eyin, iba (malaria and typhoid fever) pelorie, ponkriyon, soboton among others.

Though some of them are self regulated, others are in the business to make quick money.

Speaking with Nigeriamaritime360.com recently, one of the stakeholders in the herbal business, Dr Shittu Mufutau Mogaji, the chief executive officer of Mogaji Herbal Ventures opened up that the sellers of herbal medicines are better organised and even potent than those licensed by the NAFDAC

According to him, “We that are in this business, we are not here to make money, we are for the good health of humanity, meanwhile, those that you see selling already sealed and packed drinks are doing so for commercial purpose”

Speaking on dosage, he said that “I keep on telling people that I am not an alcoholic drink seller, people patronize my business based on their specific need and I am glad that I give them solutions”

“If anyone comes to my shop to ask for treatment of pile, I would tell him the amount of cups he needs to take, when such a fellow decides to take more than that, it is called overdose, I personally pride in the fact that my business goes beyond selling of alcohol ”

Dr. Mogaji also revealed that there are various associations for people selling the indigenous herbal roots, one of them which he claimed to belong to is “Ewegbemi Native Herbalist Association”

Unlike NAFDAC, he said that the association keeps a close eye on the activities of its members and what they dish out to the public.

Some of the products he displayed are;
“Washing and Setting” “Solid Power” “Gaji Bitters” “Fine Boy” “MG flusher” “Gaji Bitters” “Super A” “Fibroid” among others

However, research have shown that herbal drinks can have dangerous side effects. In most cases, many users of herbal medicines do not tell their doctor they are taking the substances because they believe they are natural and therefore, not harmful.

Meanwhile in the real sense, these herbs can cause kidney or liver damage, and are sometimes adulterated with steroids, pesticides, antibiotics or harmful metals

Herbal medicines can cause kidney failure and liver damage in some consumers because they contain toxic chemicals or heavy metals, or react harmfully with other drugs.

According to a Pharmacology lecturer at the University of Adelaide, Australia, Dr Ian Musgrave “But herbs can be a source of very potent toxins, and in fact many things we use as medicines derived from plants are toxic, poisoning predators,”

“We can use these toxins in low concentrations in order to have useful medical effects. Some people believe that because herbal medicines derive from natural products that they are not drugs, but they are, and they have the potential to cause harm or to interact harmfully with prescription medications.” he said

When contacted, a senior official of NAFDAC told Nigeriamaritime360.com via telephone that some of the herbal drinks are registered while majority of them are not registered.

According to him, anyone that is registered by NAFDAC usually have their numbers, “however there are many of such herbal drinks like that out here without genuinely being registered by us” he said

He revealed that as for some of the herbal drinks produced in sachets and 100mili, the agency is now ready to clamp down on them in the markets and ban them

“The agency has carried out a lot of sensitization in the media, but Nigerians are not ready to listen, especially those drivers and motor park workers
We are making efforts to ban these drinks that are not registered with us”

“As for those ones registered, they have been given a moratorium, once their current license expires, it would no longer be renewed”

“The process of renewal depends on the product.
Our monitoring team do arrest people from time to time” he said