Herbal medicine practitioners urged to collaborate with researchers

Herbal medicine practitioners have been urged to collaborate effectively with scientific researchers and experts to help develop products whose efficacy are guaranteed in the treatment of diseases.

Dr Bernard Tuckson, Lecturer at the Department of Herbal Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, who made the call, said the importance of herbal medicine in the management and treatment of diseases, could not be over-emphasized.

There is, therefore, the need for manufacturers to do the right things, so that users of such products would not abuse them.

“The fact that we are using herbs to manufacture medicine does not mean we should abuse them,” he stated, at the opening of herbal medicine fair in Kumasi.

“Researchers at the Department of Herbal Medicine are available to collaborate with industry to ensure such works are done well so that there will be products for diseases on the market,” he stated.

The fair which was organized by the Kumasi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in collaboration with some herbal medicine manufacturing companies in the Ashanti region, was under the theme “exploring healthcare through the healing power of nature.”

The aim was to team up with the industry players and policy makers to explore herbal medicine and identify resources available in the Ashanti region.

It was also to facilitate partnerships between local and foreign herbal medicine industry, attract foreign direct investment to the sector and promote product and services of businesses and trades.

Dr. Tuckson pointed out that regarding herbal medicine analysis, the role of researchers was crucial to ensure quality, safety, and efficacy of products.

He used the occasion to appeal to the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Ghana Standards Authority to develop their own mechanisms to test local herbal products.

This, he argued, would help most Ghanaians to have confidence in the quality, safety, and efficacy of herbal products on the market.

Mr. John Laryea Odai-Tettey, Ashanti Regional Head of the FDA, indicated that the Authority was readily available to offer technical assistance to all players in the herbal medicine products value chain.

He said it was important for manufacturers and retailers of herbal products to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) so that their products would not only remain in Ghana but be exported to other countries.

Mr Odai-Tettey cautioned players in the industry to register their products before selling and have advertisements approved before airing to avoid regulatory sanctions.