A researcher at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Dr Aina Oluwagbemiga, has said that they are yet to see a herbal product that cures malaria in the country.
Speaking in an interview with Punch, Aina urged Nigerians to go for tests and be sure that they have malaria before going for treatment.
The Deputy Director of Research, at the Centre for Research in Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Biochemistry and Nutrition Department at NIMR, said the herbal products so far seen can only suppress the parasite causing malaria but did not cure it as chloroquine does.
Aina further revealed that they’ve tested over 50 herbal products for the treatment of malaria in the last two years and none was able to prove the claims of their manufacturers that they cure malaria.
He said;
“NIMR is yet to see any herbal product that cures malaria, We are yet to see. We have not seen anyone for now. From my own experience, I have not seen any herbal product that cures malaria.
“What they do is just to lower the body temperature and the parasites will just be suppressed but after some time, they will come back. I have not seen anyone that cures it like chloroquine does.
“We are still looking for them. Although some people have been claiming that they cure malaria, I am yet to see anyone and I have told them to bring their products and let’s try them and see whether it is going to work.
“We believe that our herbal products do work in certain areas and we know that we cannot stop people from taking herbal products.
“So after we have done the test and it is good for consumption, then you do an efficacy study, what you claimed that this your product does, does it do?
“That’s when we now go into an efficacy study. But as I said for malaria, I am yet to see any herbal product that cures malaria.
“As for herbal products, a lot of people do claim that it does this, it does that but we are yet to see one that cures the malaria parasite.
“From my 25 years of experience working with malaria and using herbal products, I have not seen anyone that cured the parasite.
“I have tested more than 50 herbal products in the last two years but I have not seen anyone that can cure the parasite.
“All the products that we have seen so far, they only suppress malaria but they don’t cure. After some time, the parasite will still come out and the person will have these symptoms that he has malaria.”