Accra, July 18, GNA - The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has seized and detained large quantities of unregistered herbal medicines at two locations belonging to Kingdom Herbal Centre at Okaishie and Zongo Junction in Accra

The unregistered herbal medicines include Kingdom Tremendous Capsules, Kingdom Blood Tonic, Kingdom Ginseng Power Capsules, Kingdom Koo Capsules and Kingdom Garlic Capsules, Kingdom Garlic Bitters, Kingdom Koo Bitters and Kingdom M Mixture.

A statement issued by the FDB on Sunday said the manufacturing premises of Kingdom Herbal Centre was closed down in November 2009 by the Board due to poor hygienic conditions, which was in contravention of the Food and Drugs Law section 16(1)(b).

The law state: “A person shall not manufacture for sale a drug or chemical substance unless the conditions under which the manufacture is to be carried on are in the opinion of the Board suitable to ensure that the articles will be safe for use.”

The FDB said it could not, therefore, guarantee the quality, safety and efficacy of these herbal medicines since they had not been certified.

It also advised the public to ignore the false and misleading therapeutic claims being made on the airwaves that the herbal medicines from Kingdom Herbal Centre could treat cancers, syphilis, gonorrhoea, candidiasis, among other diseases.

The statement said anybody who patronised these herbal medicines from Kingdom Herbal Centre did so at his/her own risk since they had not been registered by the FDB and as such the quality, safety and efficacy, including therapeutic claims could not be guaranteed.

“It must be noted that Section 24(1) of the Food and Drugs Law, PNDCL 305 B states that ‘No person shall manufacture, prepare, sell, supply, distribute, export or import any herbal medicine or homeopathic drug, unless the herbal medicine or homeopathic drug has been registered with the FDB.’”

The FDB assured the public that it would continue to do all within its powers to execute its mandate to protect public health and safety at all times.

The FDB said the case was being investigated by the police.

Any information from the public on persons suspected to be in any practice with the potential of endangering public health and safety with respect to FDB’s mandate was most welcomed through any of the following contact numbers; 0244337235, 0262689296, 0246809509 or 0208204968.