The Ghana Association of Medical Herbalists has advised the public to seek herbal medical care from qualified registered professionals rather than resorting to self homemade remedies to fight COVID-19.
According to the Association, generally, herbs may be safe yet they could pose varying degrees of consequences if not rationally sourced, processed, or taken.
For instance, aflatoxins(foreign whitish patches found especially on cassava leaves) if consumed, may contribute to mutagenic, carcinogenic, teratogenic, and immunosuppressive health effects in the body. The adverse effect ranges from acute hepatic toxicity to chronic diseases such as liver cancer, hemorrhages, oedema, and even immediate death. This is not the effect of the plant but rather the toxic foreign adulterant which should have been avoided while picking the crude plant material, or during preparation.
The Ghana Association of Medical Herbalists in a statement signed by its President, Dr. Anthony Mensah stated that in the event of preparing homemade herbal remedies, however, the following precautionary measures should be observed.
Look out for and avoid:
*whitish powdery patches(aflatoxins) especially on leaves.
*Droplets of animal fecal matter and tiny insects
*Other adulterants
*Do not fetch plant materials from:
(1)places where there is a lot of vehicular movements and or industrial areas as toxic carbon monoxide fumes in the atmosphere may be absorbed by the nearby plants.
(2) Places close to untreated human excreta deposits or refuse dumpsites.
(3) Mining sites
The association also urged the public not to rely on every herbal combination shared on social media. Some could be detrimental to your health.