Survey on the Pharmaceutical Quality of Herbal Medicines Sold in Nigeria

Abstract

In recent times the apparent upsurge in the popularity and use of herbal medicines can be related to the success in their use for the management of certain important diseases, empirical proof of efficacy and safety, enhanced dosage form design and better tolerance among others. In this study the quality of some herbal medicines sold in Nigeria were evaluated for basic pharmaceutical quality and compliance to regulatory guidelines. Samples of sixteen frequently used herbal products were collected from Pharmacy stores (Ps) and Patent Medicine stores (PMs) across two states and the Federal Capital Territory. The dosage form, organoleptic properties, moisture content, weight/volume uniformity as well as compliance to regulatory guidelines were evaluated. Sixty percent of the samples were liquids, thirty percent were oral bulk powders and ten percent were capsules. None of the products complied completely with the regulatory requirement stipulated for finished herbal products in Nigeria while only ten percent of the products samples complied with the basic physicochemical properties required for pharmaceutical quality. Consequently, there is a compelling need for the regulatory authorities to ensure stringent quality surveillance and enforcement of guidelines to ensure that herbal medicines are of standard quality.

Herbal Medicine Products Sold in Nigeria: A Pilot Survey

“…A poor level of packaging was observed in the open markets which could affect acceptability and patronage of locally sourced herbal medicines in Nigeria despite the wide availability and possible effectiveness of herbal medicines [11,12]. Participants during oral interview expressed concerns and reasons for not packaging the herbal medicines.…”

“…The compliance to laid down requirements on labelling is a fundamental part of HMPs quality as inclusion of information such as product branded name, batch number, net composition etc allows for traceability and shows how genuine product is [12]. It is laudable to note that over 75% HMPs sold in the markets were compliant in ensuring information such as name of product, direction of use, composition, manufacturing and expiry date, indications, address of manufacturer and lot/batch number are stated on the labels attached to each HMP (Table 1).…”

The Role of Regulatory Authorities in the Regulation and Control of Herbal Medicines: A Case Study of Nafdac

“…Monitoring adverse events and ensuring product safety are essential aspects highlighted in studies from Yemen and South Korea (Alshakka et al, 2021;Jang et al, 2017). Additionally, the need for stringent quality surveillance and enforcement of guidelines to maintain standard quality herbal medicines is emphasized in Nigeria (Builders et al, 2015;. Regulatory authorities also play a vital role in standardizing herbal medicines and ensuring their efficacy.…”

Wound Care: Traditional African Medicine Approach

“…The various approaches to wound care in the diferent "frican cultures as shown by the knowledge, skills, and practices vary widely, and sometimes, with similarities that cross match in both far and near communitiesɤ nevertheless, the outcomes remain the same, which is, that the patients have quick healing and return to normal lifestyle [4]. In recent times, there has been an upsurge in incidences of preferences to the use of indigenous to traditional medicine for wound care even when conventional interventions are available.…”

“…These arise due to certain experiences and prejudices that include perceived failure of the conventional therapy to meet the expectations of the patients especially as regards the management outcomes of such wound conditions as compound bone fractures, chronic ulcers, side efect of drugs, high cost of the conventional therapy, etc. [4,5].…”