Colapo, 32, was shocked to discover he had stage 3 hemorrhoids. He underwent lifestyle changes in the two years leading up to his surgery, and also afterward. But before she finally resorted to hemorrhoidectomy, she tried several herbal medicines, including a popular aphrodisiac brand on Instagram.
“Nothing worked. Not even the herbal concoctions I bought from this brand that is so popular on Instagram. I spent ₦25,000 to buy the product after seeing a famous content creator promote it in a skit as a complete cure for piles. Of course, their claims were exaggerated, but at the time I was completely convinced that they were real. If the product isn’t authentic, why else would these creators use the brand they worked so hard to build?” he told Pulse Nigeria.
inherited culture
Kolapo’s experience may be similar to others who have fallen prey to false claims by traditional medicine practitioners in online promotional materials, but herbal mixtures have been a regular staple of medical treatment in Africa since time immemorial. The fact remains that it was a solution.
“Traditional medicine is effective. I have used conventional medicine for some serious illnesses in the past, but it never worked for me because I kept having the same symptoms I had before I started the medicine. In order to completely cure it, I had to go to the market and buy herbs and leaves and boil them together.” Kehinde, 50, a mother of five, told Pulse.
Anita, a writer and content creator, also says:My sister ordered herbal drinks from a friend in Enugu to treat infections such as malaria and typhoid fever. It cost 17,000 yen, but it had no effect at all. Did nothing. Zilch. In fact, it seems to have brought her symptoms to the surface. Now it must be treated with Western medicine. ”
And the reason is not far-fetched. Besides being easily available and affordable, these herbal mixtures promise complete healing. “My sister, who is currently seeking Western medicine to treat her malaria, typhoid fever and infections (which she tried unsuccessfully to cure with herbal drinks), was given a quote of ₦40,000 for injections and medicines at the hospital.” Anita further shared.
Recently, government agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board have also been established. Similarly, medical practitioners have joined forces to form unions such as the Nigerian Association of Traditional Medicine Practitioners and the Association of Integrative Medicine Practitioners.
However, these institutions have not met expectations regarding comprehensive and stringent regulatory policies regarding the assessment and testing of production quality, especially the verification of claims by practitioners who use social media to market their products.
problem
Although they have recorded some physical victories, shutdown While there are sanctions and sanctions, the problem remains that practitioners have been allowed to operate freely on social media for too long. In a brief conversation with Pulse, Dr. Adebisi Olusegun of the Association of Integrative Medicine Practitioners revealed that the majority of integrative medicine practitioners are not licensed to practice the industry. “I can boldly say that most of the people promoting unverified herbal and traditional medicine on social media are not genuine, about 90% of them are not genuine. Some do it intentionally for the money, while others inherited the business from their great-grandfathers.” he said.
Thousands of people have purchased and taken untested herbal products from social media, only to have deep regrets due to their ineffectiveness or even worse, dangerous side effects. “I came across a person who bought an aphrodisiac on social media. After using it, he had long-lasting erections, known in medical terminology as priapism. He spent almost a week before seeing a doctor. I was feeling pain. Keep in mind that there are also toxicological concerns. Some of these products can have adverse effects on vital organs such as the liver, heart, and kidneys. ” Patrick Ewernmore, Pharma News Editor and Gatefield Pro-Health Journalism Fellow, told Pulse.
“We are aware that the indiscriminate use of social media space by traditional medicine sellers can be misleading and indeed harmful, as most of their claims are unsubstantiated. Second, there is the issue of usage and dosage, which could have been resolved if it had been registered with NAFDAC. Traditional medicine that is not registered with NAFDAC is considered fake and does not meet standards. ” he added.
“They won’t tell you the truth. They give you the impression that you can take herbal medicine and solve your problems without changing your lifestyle. And that’s not true. For so many people, The very idea of undergoing surgery is very scary, so they keep trying different herbal medicines in the hope that it will work. And these herbalists do not treat these symptoms with their medicines, especially in the later stages. I know that it cannot cure the disease. It may be effective in the early stages of the disease, but if a person’s hemorrhoids (hemorrhoids) are in the third stage or if a woman’s uterine fibroids are palpable. The worst part is that they keep giving the impression that there are no side effects and that their products can treat it, which is not the case. Do you know what that is? It’s called false advertising. Mr. Colapo concluded:
what can be done
Related organizations need to thoroughly regulate false advertising by Chinese herbal medicine practitioners. Absolute statements should not be allowed, especially on social media. Tougher sanctions should also be applied.
“I agree that the social media space should be strictly regulated for those selling traditional medicines.We also need NAFDAC and Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) approvals for the marketing of traditional medicines. You can’t advertise or market your product if you don’t have it.The same system should be adopted for social media marketing of traditional medicine.Medicine is highly scientific and deals with experiential knowledge. Just because something works for someone doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. Orthodox medicine is based on scientific procedures, but most traditional medicine sellers base their claims on speculation. So here’s why we have to be very careful. Mr. Ewernmol pointed out.
