The Federal Government has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to carry out necessary procedures for the assessment of a plant-based cough mixture as a possible alternative treatment for coronavirus.
This directive was made by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Mashi Abdullahi, in a memo addressed to the director-general of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye.
The memo, titled ‘Formulation of a Phyto-Medicine-Based Cough Mixture/Syrup for the Management of COVID-19 Patients by Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine Department of the Ministry said Nigeria is blessed with medicinal plants which could be exploited.
The Permanent Secretary stated that the formulation is a Cov-herbal cough mixture whose ingredients are medicinal plants, widely used as food materials and medicines.
According to him ‘these medicinal plants have documented scientific evidence of long use for the management of cough and other respiratory infections, with medicinal properties of mucolytic, antitussive, expectorant, soothing, demulcent, anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects.
“It is heartwarming to note that the Department of TCAM has taken the pains to research into scientific materials to come up with a formulation intended for the management of cough in COVID-19 and other cough-related infections.”
“The ministry is determined to walk the talk in the promotion and integration of herbal medicine into the health care delivery system.
“In view of the foregoing and the desire of the ministry to showcase to the public a product that is 100 per cent sourced locally, you are requested to carry out the necessary procedures for listing.
“The ministerry will contract the packaging of the product to some identified pharmaceutical companies.”
