Botanical characterisation, drug indications and sustainability status of traditional oral powdered herbal formulations in Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Abstract

Results: Fifty-five medicinal plant species from 33 angiosperm families were used by traditional herbal medical practitioners to produce 68 TOPHFs that are indicated for treating 17 different health conditions. The sources of raw material herbs, in relative terms, were purchased from herbal markets (43.8%), collected from the wild (28.1%) and cultivated (28.1%). Most of the herbs can be sustainably harvested and only 3 (i.e. 5.5%) of the 55 plant species (i.e. Lophira alata Banks ex Gaertn., Khaya senegalensis A. Juss. and Garcinia kola Heckel) are under threatened (vulnerable) species. Conclusion:Production of TOPHFs in Ogbomoso is sustainable with minimal injury on the natural flora.

The Microbial Quality of Herbal Products

“…'The British Pharmacopoeia's standards for microbiological contamination for total aerobic bacteria and fungal counts for herbal products in which boiling water is not added before consumption should not be more than 10 5 and 10 4 CFU/g, respectively,' according to British Pharmacopoeia. 30 The pharmacopoeia limit for herbal products was clearly surpassed in all seven (7) herbal products assessed in this study, and as a result, they went below the maximum allowable limit, implying a significant level of microbial contamination. Ideh found high microbiological contamination in 10 of the 12 herbal items tested in a similar investigation 31 The permissible reasons for heavy contaminants of the herbal products may as a result of contamination of raw materials, poor hygienic practices during the manufacturing and storage of such products.…”