Too Many Aphrodisiacs

There are too many aphrodisiacs in town and alongside an assortment of medicinal drugs which efficacy and dosage are undetermined danger which is certainly lurking.

We get the impression that there is an increase in cases of erectile dysfunction – a situation which makes trading in such stuff highly lucrative. As regards the non-aphrodisiacs, the failure of the non-performance of the national health insurance scheme to provide the needed support and the restive economic situation prevalent are responsible for the proliferation of the medicines.

We have been prompted to turn to this subject by the many commercials regarding an assortment of medications claimed to have the powers of restoring declining sexual drive in men and the yet- to-be-quantified effects the abuse of such drugs is having on the health of an already impoverished population.

We are not by any stretch of imagination standing up against innovations in the local pharmaceutical industry and the provision of herbal medicines. We are concerned rather about the encouragement as it were, being inadvertently given to the youth especially, to patronize aphrodisiacs and to turn to medicines which evade port checks and find space on street markets.

We doubt whether the continued use of such stuff by especially the youth is doing them any good since after all, medical drugs should be used sparingly and sometimes under medical supervision.

We are not experts in such matters. It is a matter for pharmacists, doctors and others to deal with. We in the media can only raise a red flag about the sometimes cacophonic and spurious commercials about the ability of some aphrodisiacs to raise the libido of men who are experiencing diminishing sexual drive, as though there is no regulation in the country.

Our interest in this subject is also prompted by the many instances of renal challenges in the country - a situation we have gathered from medical experts could be the result of the abuse of certain medicines. This is a critical ailment which is both very expensive to treat and one which is fatal, if the victims do not get the appropriate attention.

Drug abuse and self-medication in our society are on the ascendancy there is no doubt.

This takes us to the issue of some medicinal plants which many of us claim cure various health challenges. Unfortunately, those who introduce us to these plants or herbs are unable to provide us with the dosage for taking them.

The centre for the study of plant medicine should assist us with this challenge, which is silently killing many citizens instead of helping them.

The moringa plant as a case in point is patronized by many people who claim that it treats various health challenges. But with the limited knowledge about its pharmacology at the disposal of the uninitiated, the need for us to be careful about such herbs should not be overlooked.