Pharmacy teachers decry lack of standardisation in herbal medicines

The Nigeria Association of Pharmacists in Academia called for the standardisation of herbal medicines in Nigeria on Thursday in Ilorin.

“The standardisation will enhance medicine security,’’ its National President, Dr Ezekiel Akinwunmi, told a news conference organised as part of its 21st annual national scientific conference.

“The only way we can effectively achieve this goal is for everyone to appreciate the need to work as a team.

“This unity of purpose is not limited to the pharmacy profession; all healthcare professionals have to speak with one voice,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Prof. Ibrahim Ore-Agba, Secretary-General, West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacy observed that herbal use in Nigeria lacked standardisation.

He noted that hawkers of herbal medicines had little or no knowledge about the herbs they hawked, adding that standardisation would help to develop and agree upon technical standards.

He explained that standardisation arrived at after experimentation and observations would enhance prescription about dosages of herbal medicines.

“Medicines need to be taken in their right doses. The composition of some of the herbal medicines in circulation could be toxic.

“Some producers mix herbs with alcohol or combine them with orthodox drugs. Others contaminate the herbs with heavy metals, while some conduct the business in unhygienic environment,’’ he said.

In another contribution, Dr Awodayo Adepiti of the Department of Pharmacognosy at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, identified with Ore-Agba’s submission.

She advised, however, that there must be knowledge about safety, dosage, and method of preparation of herbal medicines to avoid danger.