President of the Ghana Association of Medical Herbalists (GAMH), Dr. Anthony Mensah has advised the Ghanaian populace against rushing in for the Nibima plant, which has been approved by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) as a possible local remedy for the COVID-19 pandemic.

He indicated that it can possibly cause bodily harm to anyone who goes in for the plant in its raw form for self-medication.

Dr. Anthony Mensah said, “We should all not rush for Nibima plant because of the new information. Now we are applying chemicals to plants and spraying weedicides making it dangerous to take herbs straight from your back yard”.

Advising Ghanaians not to self medicate when it comes to the use of herbal medicine, especially Nibima with the new discovery, he said, “you need to find someone who is with the Traditional Herbal Council and has his or her products registered for advice. The Medical Herbalists will also make sure you get the right drugs and dosages”.

Being critical about the abuse of the Nibima plant with its discovery to potentially cure COVID-19, the doctor insisted, “don’t go in for self medication. At this time, the best you can do is get tested when you experience any symptoms of COVID-19”.

Dr. Anthony Mensah made this known in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show aired on e.TV Ghana and Happy FM.

The Ghana Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) together with the National Medicine Regulatory Agency (NMRA) has approved a herbal medicine, Cryptolepis Sanguinolenta locally known as Nibima for clinical trials for the treatment of Covid-19.

In a statement published by the FDA CEO indicated that the approval of the herbal medicine comes on the back of laboratory studies conducted by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) research team which proves the efficacy of the medicine against the novel coronavirus.