Before the advent of the colonial masters, Africans cure themselves with concoctions. The concoction can be liquid (cooked or a mixture of several herbs) or powder (ground herbs or animal parts).
However, after the white masters got into the continent’s territory, medical drugs and other prescriptions were administered to sick people at the right dose, unlike the concoctions where the exact portion was not known.
Aside from scientific facts that have proven that these concoctions can lead to liver or kidney damage or both, many Africans prefer to run to them because they believe it is ‘cheaper’ and ‘work faster’.
Research reveals that these concoctions are used for ailments like bile, malaria, typhoid, energiser, s*x energiser, to mention a few.
Recently a liquid mixture has become rampant in the Northern part of Nigeria. The users who supposedly gargle it to find a cure to body weakness, and other weaknesses rather meet their waterloo.
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In January, an online News platform, Daily News 24 reported that a businessman got paralysed after gargling Kurkura.
According to reports, the man whose identity was not disclosed in the report said that he took the drug because he was feeling generally weak.
He narrated, “On Friday, I went to the market and obtained ‘a kurkura’ from my colleagues.
They do gargle it constantly, but I did it once. I saw it and took it for a second time, then I felt nausea and vomited.
“I vomited heavily, and my body shivered. I was then rushed home as the situation became worse.
“I slept till 1 am but later felt I could not rise. Throughout the night, things get even worrier.
“On Saturday, I was then rushed to Murtala Specialist Hospital. I saw a doctor but was later referred to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.
“Doctor scanned me because my left hand and leg were no more functioning. I had paralysis.
“I feel regret. I am calling on anyone who uses the gargling mixture to stop it immediately. It is not good for our health.”
A Clinical Pharmacist, Najib Bello, who had examined the case, expressed dismay over the misuse of locally made mixtures without proper knowledge.
“The local traditional substance is been sold across the state for a long time but probably the means of preparation and concentration is higher.
“People seem not to ask questions before using such drugs, what chemicals are been used, and where they are been produced.
“Now this gargling substance is likely to have what we call ‘excitation’ since the city scan has shown that it affected the brain.
“We are now trying to trace the source of the mixture to know what it is.”
Gatekeepers News, is, therefore, calling on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ban Kurkura and other related harmful herbal mixtures in the public.
