Herbal medicine practioners under the aegis of Natural and Herbal Traditional Medicine Practioners have urged the federal government to pass laws to enhance development of the sector.
The herbal medicine practioners in a chat with The Tide at the 2019 Port Harcourt Herbal Fair  said herbal medicine, if properly harnesseed, could improve the economy.
One of the herbal practitioners at the fair , Kevin Godwin said, “ herbal medicine can add to our gross domestic product (GDP). In India and China, herbal medicine contributes 30 percent of their GDP.”
He argued that if a law promoting alternative medical research was passed into law, it would help those in the sector to further improve on health care and wellbeing of Nigerians.
For Peculiar Balogun of Chief Balogun International Therapy, government should provide the environment for them to thrive.
She stated that the current situation did not encourage them since no effort was being done by the authorities to sponsor research and standardisation of herbal products.
Balogun, while citing India and China as two major exporters of herbal products averred that Nigeria had huge potentials such that if tapped could surpass the two Asian countries in the future.
In the same vein, Ali Balogun stated that competent herbal medicine practioners could be trained and certified by government to further improve on service delivery.
“ The way they view herbal doctors in the past as fetish has gone by. As you can see, a lot of people have confirmed that herbal products are effective and if government supports it will improve more”, Balogun stressed.
He assured that with time more standard herbal products will be available, but it requires more funding and sponsorship.