Africans and Nigerians in particular have been urged to prioritise the consumption of plants-driven drugs and products to enhance their health and general well-being. 
   
The call was made by experts in the health sector who are also certified manufacturers of traditional medicines and natural products at the 14th edition of HerbFEST, held in Owerri, last weekend. 
   
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, Prof. Maurice Iwu, a foremost pharmacognocist and Chairman, Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme (BDCP), stated that Nigerians aside earning huge interest, could also enhance the economy of the country by investing in natural drugs and products.
   
According to him, “Africa presents a veritable treasure of cultural and genetic resources, including medicinal plants. Many of our present medicines are derived directly or indirectly from medicinal plants and it is estimated that about 25 per cent of the drugs prescribed worldwide are derived from plants. 
   
“While several classic plant-based drugs may have lost ground to synthetic competitors, many others have gained a new investigational or therapeutic status in recent years. 
   
“Of the total 252 drugs in World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) essential medicine list, 11 per cent is exclusively of plant origin. In addition, a number of novel plant-derived substances have entered into Western markets, and the global herbal/natural products market has been steady on the rise.”
   
He continued: “Nearly 80 per cent of African and Asian populations depend on traditional medicines for their primary healthcare. Plant natural products also play an important role in the health care system of the remaining 20 per cent of world population, who reside mainly in the developed countries.”
   
“These statistics show that the surest way of achieving total health coverage of the world population is through herbs, herbal and natural products. In Nigeria, more than 80 per cent of the rural population use medicinal herbs or indigenous systems of medicine.” 
   
Iwu, however, regretted that, “Notwithstanding this rich array of plant species, Nigeria, like most other African countries, play very insignificant roles in the estimated herbal medicine global trade worth over USD $400 billion.”
   
And speaking on the expo with the theme ‘Medicinal Plants for Economic Development’, the former Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said: “HerbFEST 2023 is designed to provide a platform for natural products manufacturers, including herbal medicine, functional foods, health and beauty products companies, as well as raw materials exporters to showcase their innovative products and technologies to manufacturers’ representatives, wholesalers, distributors, capital providers, pharmaceutical industry representatives, biotechnology/biomedical companies, government agencies and consumers.”
   
Also, the Imo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Success Prosper, said natural products can make substantial contributions to health care delivery and general wellness, adding that their use has, however, met with various challenges such as acceptability, perception, quality control and dosage determination, which HerbFEST aims to tackle.”
   
He pledged the Imo State Government’s support to boost general acceptability and consumption of plants-driven products, including drugs and beverages in the state through continuous sensitisation and sundry support to the producers.