In Nigeria, many people, especially in the south-west region, believe and rely on local herbs for medication. ‘Agbo’, the Yoruba name for herbal concoction, is prepared from a variety of herbs soaked in water, alcohol or even palm wine.
Among these herbal preparations is Agbo jedi with high patronage from young people and adults including the aged because of the claims that it treats just about anything from back pain, haemorrhoid to impotence. It is sold in motor parks, aside from those sellers that hawk around the major and minor streets in Nigeria.
In fact, a study said that Agbo jedi (anti-haemorrhoid herbal recipes) accounted for 52.2% of the total herbal medicines that were consumed in Lagos State.
Constituents of most ‘Agbo jedi’ include scented-leaves, cinnamon powder, fresh parsley, grapefruit juice extracts, bitter leaf, Sorghum leaves, naphthalene tablets, garlic, bark of Alstonia boonei and dried cloves.
Although ‘agbo jedi’ is often considered a safer and more natural alternative to conventional medications, experts have raised concerns on the after-effects of taking these anti-haemorrhoid herbal recipes, especially over a long period of time.
One of such concerns is that a long-term use of ‘agbo jedi’ that contains bark of Alstonia boonei and dried cloves can increase the risk of damage to the liver, kidney and testis. Also, its toxic effect on the bone marrow affects red blood cells production. Likewise, abnormal sperm cells were significantly induced.
Alstonia boonei, popularly known as God’s tree, is ‘Ahun’ in Yoruba, ‘Egbu-ora’ in Igbo and ‘Ukhu’ in Edo. It is a constituent of herbal concoctions for the treatment of malaria and other ailments such as fever, insomnia, chronic diarrhea, and rheumatic pains.
Researchers at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences had assessed the safety evaluation of an anti-haemorrhoid (pile) herbal recipe (locally called ‘agbo jedi’) of southwestern Nigeria using animal genetic assays.
The 2023 study, which involved Akeem Akinboro, Asiata Ibrahim, Jemilat Muhammed, Hamidah Oloyede, and Rofiat Alimi, was entitled ‘Safety Evaluation of an Anti-haemorrhoid (pile) Herbal Recipe (locally called ‘agbo jedi-jedi’) of Southwestern Nigeria Using Animal Genetic Assays’. It was in the journal, Toxicology Advances.
In this study, an anti-haemorrhoid herbal recipe containing the bark of Alstonia boonei and dried cloves was investigated using Swiss albino rats. The rats were administered anti-haemorrhoid herbal recipes at 25.0%, 50.0% and 100.0%, while distilled water and 0.05% sodium azide were the negative and positive controls, respectively.
Twenty-five mature male rats were administered the anti-haemorrhoid herbal recipe and controls once daily for 35 days. The animals’ weights were determined after every week using a digital electronic balance.
After five weeks, they were sacrificed and the epididymis was removed and perforated for sperm cells to swim into phosphate buffer solution. Also, the testes, liver and kidneys of the treated rats were removed for testing.
The anti-haemorrhoid herbal recipe at a high dose induced damage in the body cells and the percent of abnormal sperm cells induced by the anti-haemorrhoid herbal recipe was non-dose dependent, having recorded a higher percent of abnormal sperm cells at 25.0% than that at 50.0% dose. However, the highest percent of abnormal sperm cells was obtained at 100.0%.
According to them, “In the present study, the effects of the anti-haemorrhoid herbal recipe on the testes, liver and kidney were different from the effect of aqueous extract of Alstonia boonei which was reported to damage the testicular and kidney tissues of experimental animals.
“The induction of significantly different micronuclei and abnormal sperm cells at 100.0% than the negative control indicates that the anti-haemorrhoid herbal recipe was toxic and should not be consumed at a high concentration because of its potential to cause mutations in dividing cells.
“These results necessitate regulation and control of consumption of this anti-haemorrhoid herbal recipe by people through the authorized government agencies in Nigeria.”
The researchers suggested that the chemical substances in Alstonia boonei and cloves might have acted synergistically to produce the observed toxic effects in this study, therefore making the toxicity tests for medicinal herbal preparations also important.
Moreover, the fact that certain ingredients used to prepare ‘Agbo jedi’ are natural does not guarantee their safety for use. Some of the ingredients in the herbal concoction contain heavy metals, including mercury, lead and arsenic, which may cause serious health problems if consumed over a long time.
Ingredients in many herbal concoctions when ingested over a long period or at high doses can lead to severe health complications like organ failure and even death, especially when there are more effective treatments available such as antibiotics. It is not a substitute for traditional medicine.
The biggest risk associated with herbal concoctions is that the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control does not regulate them. There is no standardization of the ingredients used in these products, and the quality and safety of the herbs and other ingredients can vary.
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