Stop Blaming Herbal Medicine For Kidney Failure
Let’s analyze this issue critically.
In the olden days, there was no Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), no Standards Authority, and no Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC), yet our grandparents relied heavily on herbal medicine for healing. There were no precise measurements, no standardized dosages, and no regulated duration of use. People often determined the quantity to take based on how bitter or strong the medicine tasted.
Yet, we must ask an important question:
What was the rate of kidney and liver failure during those times compared to today?
Today, orthodox medicines are widely used and often regarded as the only safe option, while herbal medicine is frequently blamed whenever kidney problems arise.
Let me be clear: I am not saying that all herbal medicines are completely safe.
Just like any medicine, unregulated or unregistered products can pose dangers.
However, the constant habit of placing all the blame on herbal medicine is unfair and unscientific.
I challenge anyone to mention a specific registered herbal product that has gone through proper clinical studies and has been proven to cause kidney failure.
Before condemning herbal medicine, we should also understand important concepts such as:
• What is a therapeutic window?
• How does the therapeutic window of herbal medicine compare with that of orthodox medicine?
Answering these questions will provide deeper insight into safety margins in both systems of medicine.
Unfortunately, due to colonial influence, many of us have been conditioned to believe that our indigenous methods of healing are inferior, even though these practices existed long before modern medicine arrived.
The solution is education, not condemnation.
People should be encouraged to use registered and regulated herbal medicines, rather than unverified preparations.
Today, institutions such as Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) train professionals known as Medical Herbalists, who are qualified to guide patients on the safe use of herbal medicine.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 70% of Ghanaians use herbal medicine. Therefore, it is in our best interest to educate people on safe usage rather than dismiss the practice entirely.
Both orthodox medicine and herbal medicine can work together for the benefit of patients.
Let us stop the blame game and instead focus on responsible use, proper regulation, and professional guidance.
The leading causes of kidney failure are well documented—hypertension, diabetes, infections, and drug toxicity, among others. We should examine these realities objectively rather than unfairly targeting herbal medicine.
Education and collaboration are the way forward.
Dr (MH) Agbango Kasum
CEO, KASKO Herbal Limited
