Notaby, just as the glo
bally detested fake, substandard and counterfeited pharmaceutical products are very harmful and highly destructive to human health, so also are traditional /herbal products of similar status. Indeed, the Nigeria alternative medicine market is in dire need of modern sophistications, dynamic development  and critical overhaul for global competitive practice in the sector.
Historically, the use of medicinal herbal products in the curing and prevention of numerous diseases and ailments is ancient in practice. However, the emergence of western civilisation  brought in its wake, orthodox or modern medical practice.
Despite the various enormous technological and scientific sophistications that have characterized this mode of medication, it could be simply considered as an improvement on the aged traditional and ancient approach to medicine practice.
Such is its dependability and effectiveness in both curative and preventive medicine practice  that the usage of herbs  for medication purpose is maximally acknowledged and embraced globally particularly in Britain, United States of America, Germany, India, China etc.
It is in this regard that Nigeria, a highly revered Giant in the Africa continent has expressed outright unwillingness to be shoved aside as the world progressively tilts towards blending modern with traditional /herbal cum alternative medicine in an attempt to proffer  varieties of suitable medications for the avalanche of deadly diseases which abounds in all the nooks and crannies of the world.
Apparently, this explains the current posture of Government in this regard through the Dr Paul B.Orhii led National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) .
Undoubtedly, Indeginous herbal preparations or mixtures emanates from the blending of plants medicinal properties such as flowers, bark,  leaves ,roots, berries, seeds, fruits etc .
The end products which could be in form of dry extracts {ie capsules or pills},tinctures ,liquid extracts, oil, syrups, teas etc are used for the treatment of various ailments  and diseases.
They are equally termed as alternative ,complimentary or supplementary in medicine practice and therefore not alien.
In Nigeria, for instance, the ancient/traditional and seeming hereditary nature of its practice over the years seems to have encouraged its massive infiltration by quacks, illiterates and saboteurs who are merely masquerading as  herbal experts.
More embarrassing is the unsubstantiated and non-verified effectiveness , efficacy and potency claims ascribed to herbal products by marketers such that users are misled to believe that a single product can cure a retinue of   diseases including AIDS,HIV while at the same time boost sexual libido etc
Some herbal practitioners and marketers have resorted to unauthorised, desperate and highly insincere means of advertisement in a deliberately calculated attempt to fraudulently garner mass patronage from unsuspecting buyers including using NAFDAC numbers as a guarantee for their claimed herbal products efficacy and reliability.
These obnoxious practices  has in turn made herbal medicine practice an all comer affair with an attendant negative consequence on the innocent consumers.
As a legally authorised healthcare regulator, the onus of sieving the grains from the shafts rest on NAFDAC  which is determined to bring to bear on the sector outright sanity through thorough examination and standardization of the various processes, preparations and products culminating into effective and efficient herbal medicine practice.
It is in this regard that the agency has evolved  modernised scientific techniques to adequately regulate and promote herbal products manufacturing and marketing with a view to according it due relevance through proper repositioning for outright acceptability both locally and internationally.
NAFDAC is indeed determined to ensure that herbal medical products being put across to the public for use or consumption as a reliable means of medication are non poisonous{non-toxic},safe, non –complicative ,efficacious and are in accordance with globally acceptable /specified good manufacturing practice standards.
It is in an attempt to maximally guarantee safety for the human life ,that NAFDAC has urged all herbal medicine practitioners nationwide to henceforth forward mandatorily to it ,herbal preparations and products for a proper cum professionalised scientific and medical examination before being accorded a partial approval status known as NAFDAC Listing status which is not a guarantee on herbal products curative and preventive capacity or effectiveness efficacy which constitutes the first approval stage.
In the same vein permission/authorisation is to be compulsorily obtained from the agency by practitioners for their herbal products before being advertised for public acceptance and patronage in the mass media-Radio,T elevision, Newspapers, Magazines,Bill boards,Electronic boards, etc.This is believed will entrench sanity in herbal products advertisement.
Similarly ,the agency is putting in place a dynamic second and final herbal products approval phase which comprise scientific based herbal products efficacy/effectiveness verification mechanism which will involve series of clinical trials.
To this end, a high powered committee comprising seasoned intellectuals and scientific egg heads duly  sourced from both the academia universities and research agencies eg NIBRID has been constituted .
These medical and scientific Think-Tanks are to among other things, thoroughly examine, assess and consider herbal composition , preparations and products to ascertain efficacy status or where necessary ,recommend appropriate rectification  measures.
They are also to unfold the nature of government support or assistance required to upgrade herbal medicine practice through herbal products development and standardisation to compete with international quality efficacy and safety  output standards.
Furthermore, the agency has resolved not to rest on its oars as it has restrenthened its public enlightenment approaches and measures aimed at ensuring that herbal medicals  are effectively and efficiently regulated thereby ensuring that they are safe for use.
Interestingly, the agency has remained consistent in the hosting and co-ordination of enlightenment and interactive workshops for herbal practitioners and other stakeholders in the sector in an attempt to adequately equip and update them with modern requirements/international best practices as well as standards and knowledge in the development and upliftment of the sector.
Obviously, the social, political and economic benefits accruable to a nation from the production and marketing of herbal products are indeed enormous.
Apart from boosting foreign exchange earnings, creating employment opportunities, dignifying our nation and herbal products,it will further empower government to provide social amenities,avail the citizenry a reliable alternative source of health care while helping to ensure that our pride as a progressively focused nation is maximally sustained through the production of standardised life saving herbal medical commodities to mention but a few of its advantages.
Ideally, herbal products ability and competence must be thoroughly substantiated through necessary laboratory analysis and other relevant medical experimentations for curative and preventive assurance before favourable public pronouncement can be made on such products capacity .
It is only by so doing that herbal medicine can be maximally and relevantly integrated into the Nation’s healthcare delivery system to provide the required complementary, supplementary or alternative role.
In all, the various numerous and scintillating advantages ascribable to embracing of herbal products could become outrightly elusive if adequate urgent measures are not adopted to regulate, control and standardise its production and administration such that only very competent persons who are knowledgeable in herbal medicine composition, preparation and use are allowed access to its practice which invariably, is the position of NAFDAC as it relates to herbal medicine practice.

Martins Ikhilae