How Nigeria’s ‘algorithmic apothecary’ fuels a surge in risky herbal cures

Unverified herbal remedies on social media are driving rising health risks and delayed treatment in Nigeria. Abuja, Nigeria – Oke Bola thought a fertility supplement she found online might help her conceive. Instead, within days of taking it, she struggled to breathe. Her experience reflects a growing online trade in unverified herbal remedies across social media. Bola (not her real name), who is in her early 40s and has never had children, said she bought the supplement earlier this year and increased the recommended dosage, hoping for quicker results after hearing about it from friends and family. “I recognised the symptoms of asthma; the wheezing sound at night was familiar,” she told Al Jazeera. “When I checked online, I realised it could be from the herbal medication.” Bola said her symptoms eased after she stopped taking the product. Without consulting a doctor, she assumed the reaction was linked to incorrect dosage and resumed use as instructed. The product, Jinja Herbal Mixture, is marketed for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. A 2025 Nigeria-based study, titled The Toxicological Evaluation of Jinja: A Local Herbal Mixture (LHM), found it appeared safe for short-term use within tested dosage ranges, offering some support for its traditional use. But researchers also recorded biochemical changes at higher doses, including altered creatinine and sodium levels in test subjects, signs of possible kidney and liver stress. The study called for further research into long-term effects and interactions with conventional medicines. Another user, 47-year-old Temi Ahondiwura, a master’s graduate from the University of Ibadan, said a herbal eye treatment bought through Facebook worsened her vision problems. It was her first time trying such a remedy. Marketed by social media influencers, the product claimed to treat multiple eye conditions. “At first, I felt itching, but I thought that was part of the process,” she told Al Jazeera. “When it continued, I stopped and went back to my prescribed optical lenses.” Stories like these are becoming increasingly common, according to pharmacist Akinade Akinlolu and Dr Egemba Chinonso Fidelis. On a smartphone screen, relief is just a click away: fertility tonics, eye drops promising restored vision, syrups claiming to “flush out” disease. The are polished, persuasive and constant, woven into TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X feeds. Across Nigeria, doctors and pharmacists say a surge in social media-driven self-medication, particularly involving unverified herbal products, is worsening health outcomes, delaying treatment and adding pressure to an already strained system. High costs of care, shortages of medical equipment and the migration of health workers abroad have further weakened a system serving about 230 million people. Nigeria’s young, hyperconnected population increasingly uses digital platforms for health information and advice. But that access has also created what Dr Isaac Kolawole and Dr Fidelis describe as an “algorithmic apothecary”, an unregulated online marketplace where influencers and anonymous sellers promote remedies directly to consumers with little or no scientific backing. Online market risks A report by Surjen Healthcare, a health-tech platform providing home-based care services, links rising self-medication in Nigeria to easy access to health information online. Many people, driven by high costs and mistrust in formal healthcare, now turn to social media for advice, sometimes with harmful consequences. The report associates this trend with rising drug resistance, late hospital admissions and increased exposure to unsafe or counterfeit products. At the same time, Nigeria’s herbal medicine market continues to grow, but weak enforcement online has allowed unverified products to spread widely. A 2025 study shows many Nigerians are open to traditional medicine delivered through digital platforms, often shaped by influencer content. It found that 68 percent of patients surveyed were willing to consult traditional practitioners online, while 42 percent of practitioners were aware of such platforms, but only 19 percent were using them. About 60 percent said they were open to adopting them. “The platforms themselves amplify this effect,” said Fidelis. “Their algorithms reward engaging content and push it to wider audiences,” he told Al Jazeera. Even users who try to avoid such content often encounter it repeatedly, shaped by emotional storytelling, music and urgency-driven messaging. Health consequences Within this ecosystem, herbal remedies, long part of Nigeria’s medical and cultural landscape, are increasingly repackaged as miracle cures, sometimes with dangerous consequences. Doctors say more patients are arriving at hospitals only when their conditions have significantly worsened, often after prolonged use of unverified treatments. A consultant nephrologist at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Dr Yemi Raji, said