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Kidney Disease : Why You Should Not Take `agbo` by phenomental40(m): 12:29pm On Mar 18, 2019 |
By Vivian Ihechu
According to the World Health
Organisation (WHO), traditional medicine
is generally available, affordable, and
commonly used in large parts of Africa,
Asia, and Latin America.
WHO estimates that about 80 per cent of
the population in developing countries
still depend on traditional medicine for
their Primary Healthcare (PHC) needs;
however, this percentage may vary from
country to country.
In Nigeria, many people, especially in the
South-West region, believe and rely on
local herbs for medication.
`Agbo’, the Yoruba name for herbal
medicines, is a concoction prepared from
a variety of herbs and; it is one of the
most popular herbal preparations taken
for various ailments, especially by the
native Yoruba people.
It has also seen a lot of patronage and
acceptance by other tribes too; Agbo can
be soaked in water, alcohol or even palm
wine before one drinks it.
However, medical experts raise concerns
on the after-effects of taking Agbo,
especially over a long period of time.
One of such concerns is that it can
damage the kidney and liver; also, there
are concerns on its preparation which
include the handling, dosage requirement
for each ailment, shelf live and expiration
date.
Recently, at an event to commemorate
the 2019 World Kidney Day on March 14,
experts raised awareness on the
importance of guarding against acts
which can lead to kidney disease.
The event which was organised by the
Renal Dialysis Centre, Allen Avenue, Ikeja,
Lagos, saw experts also emphasising the
need to reduce or even desist from
consuming local concoctions, especially
Agbo because of the possible resultant
effects.
Dr Chinedu Odum, a Nephrologist, said:
“In this environment, we talk about
herbs and we hear many people say the
take Agbo’’ or herbs.
“They say the herbs clean their system
but the truth is that this concoction
people are taking, some of them have a
bad effect on the kidney. It can damage
the kidney.
“It is a lot cheaper to prevent kidney
damage because once you have kidney
damage there is no going back; even
those who are rich can’t maintain,
afford or keep up with dialysis.
“They can’t even maintain or afford
to have kidney transplantation, not to
talk of the masses who are not generally
or financially equipped to take care of the
disease.
“So, we want to implore people to be
aware of kidney disease but more
importantly, to be more aware of the
factors that increase the illness.”
However, Odum highlighted other causes
of kidney disease to include high blood
pressure which is the number one causes
of kidney disease in Africa and of which
many people don’t know that they
have it.
“Apart from blood pressure, diabetics
and anyone who has long standing high
blood sugar can come down with
complications; one of the complications
is kidney disease.
“Also, bleaching; some of those creams
have some components which can
damage the kidney; they also have
components that will increase the risk of
diabetes and blood pressure.
“The environment we live in is also very
important; infection in this environment
too contribute to kidney disease; so we
have people who come down with
frequent urinary tract infection.
“If it is not taken care of, they can have
a chronic kidney infection which can lead
to kidney disease and if that’s not
channeled, we will be talking of
dialysis,’’ the Nephrologist said.
Dr John Okoh, Founder and the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of the RDC,
confirms that these concoctions of herbs
have a negative impact on vital organs of
the body, especially the kidney.
He urged Nigerians to be aware of the
causes and risk factors of getting kidney
disease.
Dr Nkem Achor told NAN that one of the
major concerns in consuming Agbo is
that one cannot ascertain the dosage and
expiration of the mixture, hence the
tendency to either under-dose or over-
dose.
“People who take Agbo do not know
when it becomes under dose or over
dose and this can affect the multisystem
functions of the kidney and liver, which
are critical to the functioning of the
body.
“Also, it can lead to blood poisoning,
gastrointestinal challenges, vomiting,
diarrhea, anemia, and even death, if
mismanaged or not detected early.
“However, one is not ruling out the
efficacy of these herbs, but it is worthy
to emphasise that if it is to be taken, it
should be after thorough scientific
research and approval.
“Also, the preparation has to follow the
standard supervised procedure under
hygienic circumstances with appropriate
dosage requirements spelled out and
expiration date written.
“If these are not adhered to, people will
continue to take Agbo indiscriminately;
some may get lucky and be healed but a
majority will come down with more
debilitating and chronic situations which
may be too late for hospitals to
handle’’.
Dr. Ebun Bamgbose of the Dialysis/
Transplant Unit and Clinical Director of St.
Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, in an earlier
interview said that most of the kidney
failures, also known as renal failure or
end-stage renal disease, could be linked
to indiscriminate use of these
concoctions.
This is because the herbs are mixed with
all sorts, including local gin and there are
toxic substances in the unprocessed
materials and fermentation.
In summary, a research was conducted
by Akande IS, Adewoyin OA, Njoku UF and
Awosika SO of the Department of
Biochemistry, College of Medicine,
University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Nigeria.
The research, “Biochemical Evaluation
of Some Locally Prepared Herbal
Remedies (Agbo) Currently on High
Demand in Lagos Metropolis,
Nigeria’’, was published in the Journal
of Drug Metabolism & Toxicology,
affirmed the negative effects of Agbo on
the body.
It said: “Based on these findings, we
conclude that though these preparations
are potential sources of natural
antioxidants, but the majority of those
being hawked on Lagos metropolis may
be harmful to human health.
“This is because many of the hawkers
are likely to be quacks.
“There is also a need for
standardisation of dosage regimens and
close scrutiny of pedigree of the peddlers
of these herbal remedies by appropriate
government agencies,’’ the research
prescribed. |
Re: Kidney Disease : Why You Should Not Take `agbo` by Francon(f): 12:35pm On Mar 18, 2019 |
This is preferable. It is medicinal and soothing. I buy for 7900
|
(1) (Reply)
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