Akor Sylvester, Abuja
A health expert has raised an alarm over the continuous use of unregulated herbal medicines to treat health issues in Nigeria, warning that such practice could further increase the antibiotics resistance crisis in the country.
The Assistant Professor at the School of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Health, University of Waterloo, Canada, and Principal Investigator of the Antibiotics Stewardship Education for Pharmacists (ASTEP) Project, Dr. Charity Oga-Omenka, warned that while traditional medicine holds enormous therapeutic potential, the absence of scientific testing and standardisation could expose consumers to dangerous health risks.
In an interview with health correspondents during a two-day antimicrobial resistance (AMR) training organised by the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) in Abuja, Oga-Omenka hinted that some herbal medicines have been found to contain undisclosed substances, including antibiotics, without patients’ knowledge.
She said: “Traditional medicines are often not standardised. Sometimes, practitioners mix different substances without informing patients what is inside. Some even add antibiotics such as amoxicillin or metronidazole (Flagyl) to herbal mixtures without the patient’s knowledge”.
The expert stressed that the hidden use of antibiotics in herbal preparations could encourage misuse, reduce the effectiveness of life-saving medicines and accelerate the spread of antimicrobial resistance, a growing global health emergency.
Oga-Omenka, however, said that traditional medicine should not be dismissed, noting that many modern medicines originated from medicinal plants.
She noted: “If you look at the history of pharmacy, many of the medicines we use today originated from herbs. So we cannot rule out the medicinal value of traditional medicine”.
The expert maintained that, the critical challenge is ensuring that herbal medicines undergo the same rigorous scientific evaluation as conventional drugs.
Unlike orthodox medicines, which are carefully tested to determine the correct dosage, safety and effectiveness, she said many herbal products are produced without standard measurements or quality control, leaving consumers unaware of what they are taking and the quantity they are consuming.
She further warned that without proper regulation, users could receive ineffective treatment, suffer harmful side effects or unknowingly contribute to the growing burden of antibiotic-resistant infections.
The health expert, however, welcomed ongoing efforts by the Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency to validate and standardise herbal medicines scientifically, describing the initiative as a crucial step toward unlocking the therapeutic value of indigenous plants while safeguarding public health.
She said: “There may be something valuable in these herbs, but they need to go through proper scientific evaluation, calibration and measurement so people know exactly what they are taking,”.
The public health expert further called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, healthcare professionals, researchers, journalists and the public to tackle the widespread misuse of antibiotics.
Oga-Omenka emphasised that antibiotics are not meant to be sold over the counter under existing national health regulations, but noted that weak access to healthcare has forced many patent medicine vendors to operate beyond their professional responsibilities.
She said: “Because healthcare services are not available everywhere, patent medicine vendors often become the doctor, the laboratory and the pharmacist all at once. That is one of the challenges driving inappropriate antibiotic use”.
The health expert stressed that reversing the antibiotic resistance crisis requires collective action.
She said: “We need stronger regulation, but this is not a problem the government alone can solve. Every Nigerian has a role to play. Every drop matters, but one drop alone is not enough to solve a problem of this magnitude”.
The health expert commended the organisers of the programme, noting that the training of the health correspondents on the public health issues would boost awareness of the danger of AMR.
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