By Hashim Muhammad Suleiman, Ph.D.
Well, apart from the akurkura herbal drug currently raging like fire among the poor people in Northern Nigeria, this (picture) was a herbal remedy for ulcer. I used it once and I’ll never use it again. That day, I thought it was the end for me. For hours, the world was spiralling out of control for me.
After I regained myself, madam laughed and asked “ko dai jinin ka bashi da karfi ne?” (Wether my blood wasn’t strong). Well, I recalled that I’ve fathered 5 children, two of whom are healthy growing young boys 9 and 4 respectively while 3 are late. In them are my answers for madam.
As for herbal concoctions, I’ve since become extremely careful with them after my encounter with that herbal remedy for ulcer (you don’t tell a blind man it is raining).
Now, after gathering some testimonials from both users and witnesses of what akurkura herbal concoction does, it makes me even more scared.
My Takes.
One, the rampant usage and seemingly social acceptance of akurkura is out of the blues from what’s obtainable on other hallucination inducing drugs. People are openly testifying that akurkura is a medicine against high blood pressure, body pains, fatigue, general body weakness, fever, typhoid and other, diseases that mostly affect the poor.
Two, akurkura comes cheap and is generally accessible. I was made to know that with just 50 naira, one can have a fill of a bottle cover which is enough to work. It is scary because as other synthetic feel free chemicals and tablets are expensive and hard to get, akurkura seems to be easy to get from any lungu “chemist” and unorthodox medicine store.
Three, marketers and sellers of akurkura and other herbal concoctions use emotional marketing theatrics such as “Islamic chemist,” and “traditional medicine” to sell their wares. This is problematic because it’ll push concerned authorities further away from performing their official scrutiny on such drugs be easily believable to unsuspecting poor who readily find solace in traditions and religion. By the mere nasal assault of any bottle of akurkura opened before you, one may not necessarily be a chemicals’ expert to ascertain to a certain level that akurkura contains some powerful chemicals in it.
Four, majority of these herbal concoctions are not certified by experts for human consumption neither are they certified by NAFDAC, our regulatory agency. What this means is that anyone can mix two, three or more concoctions, massively produce such and smile to fat bank accounts without being held responsible for any damages his concoctions may cause to human lives.
Five, Nigerians should be wary with what they take in the name of alternative medicine. I support alternative medicines but under controlled and regulated conditions. Alternative medicine industry and markets should have checks and balances for the safeguarding of the lives of their end users.
Even if nothing, the testimonials of users of akurkura and witnesses to what akurkura can and do to human health should be a call for our concerned authorities to situp and regulate both production, market and usage of such concoctions and others like it.
The time to take action was yesterday, today may be late and tomorrow is certainly late.
Sulaiman can be reached via mshashim@abu.edu.ng
