‘Govt should invest in herbal centres’

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that some of the drugs it approved for consumption are good herbal remedies.

Southeast zonal coordinator of the agency, Charles Nwachukwu said this when he received an award of excellence from Anambra State chapter of National Association of Nigeria Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NAMTMP) on behalf of NAFDAC.

He said that most of the drugs from China and India are not better than those produced in Nigeria, even as he added that most of the drugs produced in those countries are all herbal-based.

However, Nwachukwu said that those who are into herbal medicine practice in Nigeria needed to package their products well like those from China and India, adding: “if we do all these, Nigeria has what it takes to take over from those countries in production of herbal medicine.”

Nwachukwu further said that herbal medicines are so potent so much so that they had helped in curing most diseases. He also said that Nigeria, being a country in the tropical region, boasts good herbal plants.

The state coordinator of NAMTMP and chief executive, JMI Home Ventures Limited, Ambassador John Mary Ibeka, called on governments at all levels to invest in herbal centres where researches on herbs and their uses could be carried out.

Such centres, according to Ibeka, would form training grounds for young pharmacists before their licences would be granted.

The centres would also be homes for pupils in search of knowledge and understanding in pharmaceutical sciences.

“Government should also avail our herbalists the opportunities to study the herbal remedies of our forefathers. They should sponsor workshops and seminars on herbal medicine and research into natural resources as vital sources of Phyto-medicine,” Ibeka said.

The President-General of Agulu Improvement Union (AIU) Chief Paulinus Aniagbaso was also presented with an award by the group as “champion of development” in the state.