Soludo Places Embargo on Sale of Herbal Medicine in Anambra

David-Chiddy Eleke in Awka

The Anambra State Government has placed an embargo on open advertisement of Herbal Medicines in the state with immediate effect.

In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Paul Nwosu yesterday, the government said the state government had directed that all advertisements for herbal drugs must be approved by the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Herbal Medicine and Pharmaceuticals before they could be displayed in any public space or media platform.

Paul gave the categories of herbal medicines to include products made from botanicals or plants popular known as (Agboo) that are used to treat all manner of diseases or to maintain good health.

According to him, the exercise is targeted at regulating and controlling the use of herbal substances, which has been on the increase among residents of the state.

Before the ban, Anambra was noted as a place where open advertisements of herbal medicine in motor parks and other strategic places are rampant, where many residents have often depended on herbal medicine as a remedy for a range of illnesses and diseases.

Agbo is the traditional way of treating illness. Before orthodox medicine, there has been traditional medicine.

Many years back, there was no easy access to orthodox drugs therefore Agbo became a veritable source of medicine. Even before access to orthodox drugs, Agbo was the only medication available for usage.

The use of medicinal plants or herbs as a fundamental component of the African traditional healthcare system is perhaps the oldest and the most assorted of all therapeutic systems.

In many parts of rural Africa, traditional healers prescribing and administering medicinal plants and its products are the most easily accessible and affordable health resource available to the countryside and at times the only therapy that exists.