By Christiana Ohaga
The Federal Government has disclosed preliminary results of the analysis carried out on the Madagascar herbal remedy, has shown that it is the same as the plant Artemisia anua, grown in Abuja by the Nigerian Institute for Pharmaceutical research and development, (NIPRID) research purposes.
Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said the Madagascar herbal remedy will be subjected to further tests to verify its efficacy when a grant is approved.
The herbal tea, named COVID Organics and produced by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (IMRA), was created from the Artemisia plant, and touted as a cure for the coronavirus disease, but health experts have warned about its risks.
Nigeria received five cartons of samples of the herbal tea in May before they were handed over to the Ministry of Health.
Ehanire said: “Preliminary results of the analysis of the so-called Madagascar herbs by NIPRID, show that it is the same as the plant Artemisia anua, which is grown in the NIPRID research farm in Abuja. Further research on its efficacy will be conducted when a grant is approved.”