Herbalists have been urged to maintain high levels of hygiene and cleanliness when preparing herbal medicine and treating patients.
Speaking during a one day herbalists field day in Kikuyu Town, the area senior public health officer Ms Rose Muiruri advised them to use clean boiled water and clean containers to prepare and store their herbal medicine.
“There have been cases of herbalists storing their herbal medicine in containers which had been used for storing other things, which in turn had detrimental effects on the health of consumers of herbal medicine," said Muiruri.
She said that some of those containers which store the herbal medicine mostly have remnants of chemicals such as paints, oil, detergents among others, which when not thoroughly washed, can cause harm to one's health.
The officer said the county government is making plans to hold a seminar where the public and the herbalists will be sensitised on traditional medicine and modern medicine as well.
Muiruiri requested the county community development officials who were present to pave the zoning lines for herbalist's operations in rural areas for easier identification in case of a patients' complaints.
“Every herbalist should label medicine and give the right prescription,” she said.
The public health officer said that the county government was ready to work with herbalists if only they adhere to the government’s laws and regulations.
She said the herbalists should send their patients to the laboratory before administering medication on them so that they can receive the right drugs.