The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has warned Nigerians against consuming herbal drinks and medicines sold at motor parks and other informal outlets, saying some could be harmful to health and potentially cause organ failure.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the warning amid concerns over the proliferation and unregulated sale of herbal products across the country.
The warning followed an outbreak of illnesses and deaths linked to locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in Ondo State.
As of September 17, 2026, NAFDAC said 182 cases had been recorded, with 48 deaths confirmed. Five victims reportedly became totally blind, while two others suffered partial blindness.
Adeyeye cautioned Nigerians against assuming that herbal products are safe simply because they are traditional, popular or widely available.
She specifically warned against herbal products hawked in cars, on wheelbarrows and around motor parks, stressing that medicines and other health products must be manufactured, stored and sold under appropriate conditions.
She said some herbal concoctions sold in such environments could be “nicely packed poisons” capable of causing organ failure.
NAFDAC also cautioned against alcoholic herbal concoctions prepared outside controlled manufacturing environments, noting that such products may contain undeclared hazardous substances.
The agency advised consumers to avoid products without verifiable NAFDAC registration numbers, complete labels, ingredient lists, batch numbers and expiry dates.
Products sold in reused bottles, unlabeled containers or improvised sachets should also be avoided.
NAFDAC said consumers can verify the registration status of packaged herbal products through its public database before purchasing them.
The agency stressed that availability does not mean a product has been approved, warning Nigerians not to rely on testimonials from vendors or traditional users as evidence of safety or effectiveness.
Adeyeye also dismissed the belief that herbal products are automatically harmless, noting that they can cause adverse reactions and may interact dangerously with conventional medicines.
She warned against herbal products promoted online with exaggerated or unverified claims of curing diseases.
The agency’s warning comes as investigations continue into the Ondo outbreak. Preliminary laboratory analysis of 15 samples of the suspected concoctions found high concentrations of methanol, a highly toxic substance capable of causing blindness, organ failure and death. Eleven of the 15 samples also tested positive for Cannabis indica.
NAFDAC said further analysis is being conducted to determine the precise concentration of methanol and identify other potentially harmful substances.
The agency has also advised members of the public to report suspected unregistered or unsafe herbal products and unhygienic manufacturing premises rather than confronting producers themselves.
Consumers are encouraged to provide details such as product names, locations and vendors, as well as photographs where it is safe to do so, to support investigations.
NAFDAC said it regularly conducts market surveillance and enforcement operations to remove unsafe products from circulation and maintains a public database of registered products.
The agency urged Nigerians to verify herbal products before consumption and report suspicious products to prevent further harm.
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