The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration, NAFDAC, has been directed by the Federal Government to carry out necessary procedures for the as
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration, NAFDAC, has been directed by the Federal Government to carry out necessary procedures for the assessment of a plant-based cough mixture as a possible treatment for COVID-19, PremiumTimes is reporting.
The permanent secretary in the ministry of health, Mashi Abdullahi, issued the directive to the director-general of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye in a memo, dated April 28, 2020, titled ‘Formulation of a Phyto-Medicine-Based Cough Mixture/Syrup for the Management of COVID-19 Patients by Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine Department of the Ministry’.
Nigeria is not the first country to consider herbal medicine as an alternative treatment for COVID-19 patients. Last Month, the Madagascan president, Andry Rajoelina, launched a herbal remedy that he said could prevent and cure patients infected with the virus. Countries like Tanzania, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, and the Republic of Congo have indicated interest in the herbal remedy.
The health minister, Osagie Ehanire had said the local medicines in Nigeria had not been tested and could be poisonous. He said all herbal medicines must go through the research cycle to ensure they are not toxic. He noted that “no COVID-19 patients will be released to herbal practitioners to test the efficacy of their drugs, such drugs will first be tested on animals before it can be certified.”
The formulation to be assessed is a Cov-herbal cough mixture and according to the memo to NAFDAC, all the ingredients that make up the formulations are medicinal plants that are widely used as food materials and medicines. They include Allium sativa (garlic); Allium cepa (onions); Zingiber officinale (ginger): Piper guineense (West African Black Pepper); and Adansonia digitata (baobab fruit). The innovation here is the composition of the formulation.
“These medicinal plants have documented scientific evidence of long use for the management of cough and other respiratory infections, with medicinal properties of mucoIytic, antitussive, expectorant, soothing, demulcent, anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects. The ministry is determined to walk the talk in the promotion and integration of herbal medicine into the health care delivery system.
“In view of the foregoing and the desire of the ministry to showcase to the public a product that is 100 per cent sourced locally, you are requested to carry out the necessary procedures for listing. The ministry will contract the packaging of the product to some identified pharmaceutical companies. Find attached scientific pieces of evidence of the products end labelling for your information end necessary action,” he said.
