Nigerians Increasingly Turn to Online Herbal Products Despite Regulatory Warnings

Oke Bola, a woman in her early 40s who has never had children, bought the Jinja Herbal Mixture fertility supplement earlier in 2026 and increased the recommended dosage hoping for quicker results. Within days she experienced difficulty breathing and wheezing at night.

Her symptoms eased after she stopped taking the product, but she resumed use without consulting a doctor after assuming the reaction was due to incorrect dosage.

Jinja Herbal Mixture is marketed for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. A 2025 Nigeria-based study titled The Toxicological Evaluation of Jinja: A Local Herbal Mixture (LHM) found it appeared safe for short-term use within tested dosage ranges.

Researchers also recorded biochemical changes at higher doses, including altered creatinine and sodium levels, and called for further research into long-term effects and interactions with conventional medicines.

Temi Ahondiwura, a 47-year-old master’s graduate from the University of Ibadan, bought a herbal eye treatment through Facebook that claimed to treat multiple eye conditions. The product worsened her vision problems and caused itching. She stopped using it and returned to her prescribed optical lenses.

Nigeria has a population of about 230 million people. A report by Surjen Healthcare links rising self-medication to easy access to health information online. A 2025 study shows 68 percent of patients surveyed were willing to consult traditional practitioners online, while 42 percent of traditional medicine practitioners were aware of online platforms and only 19 percent were using them.

About 60 percent of respondents said they were open to adopting online platforms for traditional medicine. Dr Yemi Raji, a consultant nephrologist at University College Hospital in Ibadan, said 5-7 percent of his patients have kidney disease linked to herbal medicine. Dialysis costs between 50,000 and 100,000 naira ($36-72) per session.

He advises staying away from medications that have not been verified by NAFDAC. 65 percent of participants had used herbal medicine. 44 percent did not inform their doctors about using herbal medicine.

NAFDAC requires strict registration, testing and approval before herbal products can be sold or advertised. Isaac Kolawole, the southwest zonal director of NAFDAC, said many sellers use fake or incomplete addresses, making them difficult to trace, and that enforcement has limited reach given the volume of products online.

Al Jazeera reported that Bola recognised the symptoms of asthma and the wheezing sound at night.

She told Al Jazeera that when she checked online she realised the symptoms could be from the herbal medication. Ahondiwura told Al Jazeera that at first she felt itching but thought that was part of the process, and when it continued she stopped and went back to her prescribed optical lenses.