Researchers in herbal medicine are advocating the establishment of herbal medicine farms to deal with heavy metal contamination in herbal plants.
According to practitioners, the current destruction of land and forests through illegal mining activities could negatively impact the herbal medicine practice unless urgent steps are taken to address it.
Head of the Herbal Medicine Department at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Prof. Bernard Kofi Turkson, says the right sourcing of raw materials is key to ensuring a high-quality herbal products.
“It is dangerous to pick plants from the roadside or just anywhere for your herbal product. If the plant is by the roadside, it may be polluted by exhaust fumes. If it is close to a water source which is contaminated, then it will also be affected,” he said.
Illegal mining has become widespread in Ghana, and most regions in the country are affected by the phenomenon, with thousands of forest cover being destroyed.
Research has revealed that the use of heavy metals in the illegality has threatened the environment.
Prof. Turkson has revealed that this could have a negative impact on the production of herbal medicines, hence the need to opt for a safe means of sourcing raw materials.
“The product might not cause any damage, but the contaminant present in the raw materials has the potential to do so,” he added.
According to the researcher, there should be a deliberate policy to drive large-scale cultivation of medicinal plants.
Hepa Plus Medicine Farm
The Hepa Plus Medicinal Farm has already been established by herbal medicine manufacturers, Ebenage Herbal, on a twenty-acre plot in the Ashanti Region.
Presently, the farm is the main source of raw materials for the production of Hepa Plus, Pavi, and Plasmos, which are produced by the company.
Founder of the group, Ebenezer Agyemang, explains that the difficulty in acquiring raw materials for production led to the establishment of the farm.
For five years, the farm was managed without agrochemicals, ensuring that raw materials are free from all contaminants.
Mr. Agyemang believes this system has helped sustain the quality being produced by Ebenage Herbal Consult.
“For many practitioners, it is very difficult to get raw materials free from contaminants, but the farm here offers us the best we need,” he said.
Malawi Researchers Commendation
A delegation of researchers from the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences has commended Ghana’s efforts in regulating the herbal medicine industry.
According to them, Ghana has made strides in regulating both the practice and practitioners in the field.
The system being operated locally is what the group seeks to replicate in their country, hence, understudying Ghana’s systems.
Through a partnership between the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences and KNUST, a curriculum is being developed to train students in the herbal medicine practice in Malawi.
Leader of the delegation, Dr. John Mponda, emphasized that Ghana has advanced beyond many African countries in regulating herbal medicine products, regulating the practice and practitioners, and training competent personnel to support the sector.
As part of the visit, the team toured the production site and medicine farm of Ebenage Herbal Consult, who are partners with KNUST in the training of students in the field.
They expressed satisfaction with the standards at the facility.
Source: Nana Yaw Gyimah