From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
Traditional herbal medicine manufacturers in the country have called on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to embark on mass production of registered herbal drugs for effective treatment of common ailments.
Speaking with journalists in Ogbomoso on Wednesday, one of the traditional herbal drugs manufacturers, Alhaji Suleiman Lawal, said that many herbal manufacturers lack the financial capacity to go into mass production after the agency had given approval for their herbal medicine.
Alhaji Lawal, who said that herbal medicine had proved effective against ailments such as different types of fever,, pile, diabetes, and even coronavirus, among others, added that the remedies would be readily available and affordable if funded for mass production.
He encouraged people to embrace the use of traditional herbal medicines, saying that it is nontoxic and has no side effects.
Herbal medicine, Lawal said, can only be toxic when the herbs are not properly identified and/or wrongly prepared or administered.
Alhaji Lawal said that many people have turned to herbal medicine because they believe that plant-based remedies are free from undesirable side effects experienced with conventional medicine.
The Managing Director of the Sulawoo Tradomedical International Limited, who said that he was among four herbal specialists contacted by the federal government to produce herbal products to cure the coronavirus when the epidemic took hold in the country last year, added that the result was the production of “One Stone” herbal capsules for cure of the virus.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the National Association of Proprietors of Patent Medicine (NAPPMED), Ogbomoso branch, Prince Ezekiel Oyeniran, commended the manufacturer of the herbal product, pledging the support of members of the association in its promotion.
Prince Oyeniran also called on governments to support and encourage manufacturers of traditional medicine, saying that such gesture would help the reduce mortality rate.