NAFDAC worries over substandard herbal products

National Agency for Food and Drug Administrati0n and Control has expressed serious concerns over the prevalence of substandard herbs in Nigeria.
At a stakeholders meeting in Lagos on Wednesday, Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, called for the total overhaul of both unregistered and substandard herbal drugs in the market.
Orhii, while noting that herbal supplements could be beneficial to the body, it could pose some threats and cause potential damage to the body.
The meeting, Orhii noted, became imperative after due consultation with the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, the University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University.
Orhii added, “Today, we have come together to reiterate the importance and place of herbal medicines in our healthcare system.
“While acknowledging this very crucial sector, we must hasten to add that there is need to be sanity and due diligence in the way information is placed before the public, so they get the correct message and charlatans are weeded off this chain.”