Weekly Trust: What informed your invitation by the World Health Organisation/African Network for Drugs and Diagnostic?
Pharm. Benjamin Amodu: The recognition by the WHO was as a result of my work on the anti-malaria formula, which was very effective. It is called SAAABMAL. It was on an international health journal. The WHO got the information of the existence of the drug from a journal and they got it analysed and three of us were sponsored to the UN to present it. The presentation was accepted. Apart from the WHO, the Food and Drug Administration of the United States of America recognises all our products. Our research in herbal drugs are in treatments/management for HIV/AIDS, sickle cell anaemia, ulcer and tuberculosis, a treatment from food for lowering the BP which has powerful libido enhancing effect and a powerful multi-herbal preparations for treating diabetes, including the management/treatment of the following diseases, malaria, menstrual irregularities/pain, menopausal symptoms, cancer, fibroid, hypertensions, diabetes among others. Our drugs were clinically certified by the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD).
How do you come about herbal drugs?
When the HIV broke out, we used to use the drug called AZT to treat the disease and because of its side effect, I declined to use it, because I was the head of the hospital, even though my juniors were using it. That prompted me to do research; and based on Elizabeth Kafaru’s lecture that herbs can cure diseases including serious ailments such as cancer, I was encouraged. I started reading and researching and got county capsule which came from China which cures malaria and other ailments. I pleaded with the Chief Physician to the President, Dr. S. Wali to allow me to use the drug and he did. I gave it to a lady whose husband has died of HIV/AIDs. And as I speak to you now, the parson is still alive. I also read a German book which said a combination of herbs can cure HIV/AIDS. I returned to my native area – Igalaland – and begun looking for herbs until I found one. I subjected it to rigorous laboratory tests and when I took it to a lab in Lagos for test, they said I was not serious and the concoction won’t give good result. However, after testing it, it came out with in colours in all the four procedures.
What were the procedures?
They are the anti-malaria and anti-biotic effects, its ability to stop massive diarrhoea and to reduce the viral load and boost immunity. It was able to clear all opportunistic infections when compared to the AZT. It performs better than AZT.
Are claiming to have cure for HIVAIDS?
An offshoot of that discovery made me to conduct further research and we now have what will finally eliminate HIV/AIDS. I bought marker from the USA of which my professor is now test-running.
How many ailments can be cured with the herbal drugs you invented? Are they mainly for non-communicable diseases?
Non-communicable diseases are divided into two. Some are not infectious such as hypertension; be it myocardial, diabetics, cancer or chronic heart diseases. The drug will deal with them. The others are transmitted through organisms, like HIV/AIDS, it deals with them quite well; it cures tuberculosis and hepatitis which is the subject of the award I received in Dubai recently. There were a number of patients who were treated for hepatitis.
Apart from that, are there instances in which your herbal drugs cure other diseases?
There are a number of ulcer cases which we have cured. There are patients receiving treatment for ulcer. There was a person whose leg was to be amputated due to ulcer infection; it was cured using the drugs. I have treated about 200,000 people with leukaemia while blood capsules multiplying and as I speak with you it reduced to 5,000.
Much attention is not given to herbal medicine now; do you have government approval to circulate the drugs?
I have several approvals. I have the approval of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on these three products HAAABS, SAAAB and DAAABS. I got approval from the Food and Drugs of America (FDA) as well as approval to exhibit at the world conference on HIV/AIDS which has rigorous on-line screening process. Two weeks after the exhibition in Washington, YouTube circulated the clips for the approval of herbal medicine in the treatment of HIV/AIDS by the World Health Organization and Food and Agricultural Organization, because we use food.
How?
The FDA inspected our facilities and the report was communicated to us on the internet. The inspection was done about five months ago.
So you can now distribute the drug worldwide?
Yes, we are just trying to sort out some clearing issues with some agencies. You know the US have peculiarity of labelling and distributing procedures on products.
Are the drugs affordable?
They are affordable. On the international market it goes for $50, but much lower locally.
One problem now is lack of awareness on herbal medicine; how do you intend addressing this?
Yes, that is where the media has a role to play in educating the public. We are not getting dividends in terms of health of our people and the death rate is much. The WHO is not happy about lack of access to medical facilities. Affordability, cost and accessibility are very important. This is what led the WHO 36 years ago to go round the continents and find out what happens when people fall sick and found out that over 80 per cent of the population, which was four billion, depend on various folklore medicines within their cultural area.This prompted the organization to approve that every part of the world should go back to its folklore medicine and find out what our ancestors used. When they are found, they should be tested for reproduction into orthodox drugs and toxicity.I go further to see the efficacy and find out that are they efficacious for a particular disease. We use laboratory animals to do that. If its efficacy is found, then we determine at what dosage it will be given. We find out the dose at which it will manifest some effects or be harmful. This is the major problem with herbal medicine, they have to be standardized which is why you find my drugs to either be 300mg or 500mg.
Various claims by your colleagues of inventing the cure especially for HIV/AIDS had come to naught; how effective are your drugs?
The drugs have gone through the required procedures and will not be a failure. I have followed the prescribed international procedure to get to the level I am today. The drugs have boosted the immune system of many of our HIV patients and that is what the international standard is all about. The drugs have no side effects.
How effective are the drugs on cancer?
We discovered 12 anti-cancer recipes from our food and all are effective. After doing tests here, I took them to specialized agency for further investigation.I work with the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD). In the medical parlance, cancer is treated through surgery, but today herbs can be melted without someone’s body been touched. It is on this basis the Federal Ministry of Health asked me to go to Cuba about five months ago. Cuba invited Nigeria to participate in the first ever use of non-chemical in the treatment of cancer; and you know Cuba is always the first in using unorthodox means in treating cancer. The Federal Government is aware that our company is researching into cancer treatment and that was why I was sent to Cuba to represent Nigeria. We went there with the 12 anti-cancer drugs and at the end of the day, Cuba asked us to sign a Memorandum of Understanding during the 18-day conference to supply our drugs to them and we also took theirs for the treatment of the cancer of the brain.
How do you feel by this recognition?
It will spur me to do more. I intend having a total herbal pharmacy soon for all categories of drugs.You will not see anything chemical there. We have a herbal farm and research centre called Benjamin Ahmodu Herbal Farm where our raw materials are cultivated. We harvest and add value to them as pharmacists.
