Most herbal medicines in the market are contaminated with dangerous germs, exposing users to more risky diseases including meningitis.
Researchers bought the medicines from the shops and streets in Eldoret and Mombasa, and took samples to the Kenya Medical Research Institute
laboratories in Nairobi for testing.
It was found only 31 per cent were safe for human consumption while the
rest were contaminated with fungi.
Eighty eight per cent of the herbal powders and 64.3 per cent of the herbal liquids from Eldoret were contaminated while oils had no contamination.
Mombasa herbal powders were more contaminated at 84.2 per cent followed by liquids and tablets at 66.7 per cent, while oils and capsules were not contaminated.
Some of these germs can poison the lungs and the brain leading to death.
Scientists were particularly alarmed after finding a dangerous fungal known as Cryptococcus.
“This pathogen causes cryptococcal meningitis especially in immuno-compromised individuals and can be of grave consequences bearing in mind that the herbalists claimed to treat a wide array of ailments including HIV/AIDS using the products,” Dr Lucia Keter, a senior Kemri research officer said.
She spoke in Nairobi at the 8th Kemri Annual Scientific and Health Conference, which
kicked off
on Wednesday and ends today.
“The findings do not condemn herbal products in Kenya.
They are still very important in healthcare system but the government can help herbalists attain higher standards,” she said.
Many herbal extracts have been proven to work against major diseases including cancer, according to evidence presented at the conference.
Keter’s paper, co-authored by eight other Kenyan researchers, was published last year by Hindawi, one of the world's largest publishers of peer-reviewed scientific journals.
The products are available in supermarkets, health food shops and pharmacies as over-the-counter self-medication.
Keter said contamination might have occurred during cultivation, harvest, storage, processing, handling and distribution.
“Herbalists should be trained on how to apply good manufacturing practices, good harvesting practices and the safe handling and storage of herbal medicinal products,” she said.
Kesses MP Swarup Mishra, said he would lobby for implementation of the Draft Policy on Traditional Medicine and Medicinal Plants.
The eight-year-old draft policy is aimed at conserving medicinal plants, equitable sharing of benefits, and enhancing production and domestication, while
ensuring the safety and efficacy of the products.
Mishra also promised to revive the Traditional Health Practitioners Bill 2014, which MPs never passed.