COVID-19 has brought us more customers —Herbs sellers

IMOLEAYO OYEDEYI and LUCKY UKPERI report that as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on Nigeria, people are beginning to look for natural method of healing by patronising herbs sellers including using other items like alcohol.

ACCORDING to the Wikipedia, herbs, in general use, are plants with savoury or aromatic properties that are used for flavouring and garnishing food for medicinal purposes or for fragrances; excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients. Herbs also refer to the leafy green or flowering parts of a plant (either fresh or dried).

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also defines traditional medicine as the sum total of the knowledge, skill and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.

According to WHO, herbal medicines include herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations and finished herbal products that contain as active ingredient parts of plants, or other plant materials, or combinations. Traditional herbal medicines are naturally occurring; plant-derived substances with minimal or no industrial processing that have been used to treat illness within local or regional healing practices.

The orthodox medicines according to WHO are currently getting significant attention in global health debates. In China, traditional herbal medicine played a prominent role in the strategy to contain and treat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Also, 80 per cent of African populations use some form of traditional herbal medicine and the worldwide annual market for these products approaches US$ 60 billion.

Since coronavirus became pandemic across the world, the global population has also become desperate in finding a cure or at least an antidote by all means possible. While an expensive vaccine solution seems so far away, people have begun to look inwards and towards herbs assuming that some cheaper and natural solutions could stave off the virus.

Unfortunately, people are going to the extreme for a solution. For example, in Iran, a predominantly Muslim country where alcohol and similar drinks were highly prohibited, more than 600 citizens of the country have died after consuming high-concentrated alcohol because they believed it would protect them against coronavirus which has killed more than 4,000 people in the country. Similarly, more than 3000 others have also been poisoned after drinking toxic beverages.

In Nigeria, people are also looking inwards taking preventive measures to protect themselves from the virus. Natural herbs and antibiotics like garlic, onion, lemon and others like ginger have suddenly become popular and costlier in the market. For example, a clove of garlic or a piece of ginger that went for as little as N50 before coronavirus now goes for triple the amount.

It has also been noticed that people now make their way to markets to patronise local herb sellers in order to fortify themselves against COVID-19 as reports from all over the world continue to give scary figures of victims of the deadly disease.

A herb seller popularly known as Iya Usman Alagbo in Ijokodo area of Ibadan is unhappy that many Nigerians don’t believe in the efficacy of traditional medicine and herbs. According to her, herbs could cure coronavirus, noting that China has been able to contain the virus largely due to its use of herbs and local medicines.

“To cure this raging virus, there are some herbs that we can put together, especially with bitter particles and it (coronavirus) will be gone. Personally, I have been combining ori (Yoruba for shea butter), menthol and alubosa ayu (garlic) for people to rub on their noses, hands and legs and it has been effective,” she explained.

Another herbs seller, Madam Odeyale popularly known as Iya Alagbo at Oje market, Ibadan, confirms that more people are now patronising her since the coronavirus pandemic made its way into the country.  She said there is no doubt that herbs could adequately take care of the pandemic which she said is a manifestation of other illnesses that herbs had taken care of.

“Many people are now patronising me due to coronavirus. There are herbs and roots that could take care of it. If taken in good measure the body will be fortified against any disease even stronger that coronavirus,” she said.

Mrs Bunmi Oladejo, another herbs seller at Gbaremu market on the Sango-Eleyele road in Ibadan, has a rather ingenious recipe for coronavirus. She is of the opinion that black seed oil kills all kinds of germs in the human body and that mixed with other ingredients, it works perfectly.

“It is part of what we use for children suffering from measles and high body temperature. Once we mix it with ori and palm oil and apply on the body of any feverish patient, the person’s temperature will definitely go down. As a result, some of our colleagues say we can also use it for the ravaging virus in addition to some other herbal particles.

“Investigations have also shown that black seed oil when mixed with honey can cure the virus. Also, since the outbreak, people have been coming to us to buy mango herbs, oruwo, ayun and egbesi. They often cook these together with omidun and it has been effective against the virus. Ordinarily, this combination cures typhoid efficiently, but since the outbreak of the coronavirus, people have been coming rapidly for it,” she explained.

Though Omolayo Adekunle, also a herbs seller at Agbaje (Ijokodo) area of Ibadan is in support of the efficacy of the items mentioned above, she, however, believes that an effective local cure will require a concerted effort of many herbs sellers, adding that local sanitisers have also been produced from herbs.

A herbs and alcohol seller, who wants to be identified simply as Sunday is a happy man today because since the outbreak of coronavirus in the country, the number of his clientele has been on the rise on a daily basis.

“Most of my customers say that herbs and ogogoro (alcohol) prevent coronavirus. Early in the morning, some will come and ask for alcohol; they will drink it and use it to wash their hands believing that it will totally prevent the virus.

“We have recorded an increase in sales since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Nigeria unlike before. We see new faces of customers every day. Maybe a friend or someone else told them about the ability of alcohol to prevent coronavirus I can’t say, but so far, we are experiencing an increase in our sales and new customers are coming on a daily basis,” he said.

Sunday Tribune also visited Oke-Ado market along Obafemi Awolowo Road, Ibadan, to speak to herb sellers on the level of patronage by people seeking preventive measures against coronavirus.

A young lady who identified herself as Aminat, grand-daughter of the elderly woman who owns a herbs stall said her grand-mother has been enjoying more patronage from her customers lately. According to her, the patronage began to increase in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking further, Aminat said three major herbs are now very much in high demand and they are ginger, garlic and turmeric. She added that sometimes lime could be added as a purifier.

“These three items – ginger, garlic and turmeric – are soaked in water and then taken as drink. The lime is peeled, cut and mixed with warm water. All these could be taken together at once and one is good to go,” she said.

Another herbs seller, Madam Eunice Emeka (not real name) confirmed to Sunday Tribune that ginger, garlic and turmeric are now highly sought after. According to her, the increase in the demand for the herbs has led to an increase in their price as well as their scarcity which may, however, not be unconnected with the restriction order on movement of people due to the pandemic.

“Most of these items come from the northern part of the country. So, since this restriction order in some states came into effect, they have become scarce and costlier. Some people eat them raw while some people blend and mix them with water to drink. Some people also add them to their cooking and stew,” she explained.

A customer who gave her name as Kike said that due to the coronavirus pandemic she has decided to fortify her immune system by eating garlic and ginger every night before going to bed. In the morning, according to her, she takes hot green tea because of its antioxidant properties.

Another customer, Dr. Sunday Bamidele, said he buys garlic, peels it and adds water. After boiling it he drinks it regularly. Asked if he thought it was a good antidote to coronavirus, he said garlic was a good natural antibiotic and he didn’t see anything wrong in taking it.

Dr Bamidele is not alone in the efficacy of herbs vis-à-vis coronavirus. One Mrs. Bunmi Adesina also told Sunday tribune that she and her family members now habitually take hot tea made with ginger, garlic and lemon every morning because of their anti-viral/anti-bacterial agents.

However, it is not altogether a story of rising patronage as there are herbs sellers who do not think anything has changed. Nafisat Adeyemo, Halimat Ishola and Lola Olanrewaju, all herbs sellers have different opinions about patronage.

According to Halimat Ishola, “I used to have customers all the way from Abuja, Port Harcourt and all over Nigeria. But because of the interstate travel ban, my business has slowed down drastically.”

Lola Olanrewaju believes that “the outbreak has not affected my business; people come and get their morning and evening dosage of herbs as usual.”

Two young ladies who simply identified themselves as Fatimo and Sofiyat also believe that “There is no much difference in our sales compared with when there was no outbreak of coronavirus. Though there are some people using alcoholic and herbs to protect themselves, it has not yet brought much expected change in our sales.”

—Additional report by Phillip Thomas, Kelvin Offor and Funmilayo Aremu

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