A message posted on Facebook claims a local Nigerian herbal drink “causes miscarriage” during pregnancy.
“If you are pregnant, please don’t drink ZOBO. There are verified reports of women who had a miscarriage after drinking zobo,” it reads.
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Zobo is made from dried roselle plant flowers. Roselle, scientifically called Hibiscus sabdariffa, belongs to the Malvaceae family.
But should the drink be avoided during pregnancy?
No scientific evidence
Prof Cyril Chukwudi Dim, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the University of Nigeria, said he was unaware of such a claim.
“One cannot attribute a miscarriage to a particular substance because of one experience; that would be too much and damaging to that substance,” he said.
Another expert, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist. Prof Michael Aziken, said zobo was not a known cause of miscarriage because its chemical content had not been studied.
Aziken, who specialises in assisted reproduction techniques, said people should wait until concrete scientific evidence linked zobo to miscarriage during pregnancy.
“Zobo causing miscarriage should be regarded as a controversial claim until scientific proof says otherwise.”
There are no “verified reports” of women suffering miscarriage after drinking zobo.
A collaboration between Daily Trust and Africa Check in fighting health misinformation.
