Abstract:
Persuasive adverts and exaggeration of health benefits from consumption of herbal products as well
as the mental picture of ‘natural’ is ‘safe’ has boosted traditional medicine use in Uganda. However,
herbal products may be unsafe due to the possibility of their contamination with mycotoxins. In this
study, we quantified the levels of aflatoxins (B 1 , B 2 , G 1 and G 2 ) in Real Koff product, Eddagala ly’e
kifuba n’e senyiga, Omusujja, Cough mixture and Fever herbal products sold in Kampala, Uganda
using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The associated
consumption health risks were assessed using the hazard index method. Only aflatoxin B 1 was
detected in 60% of the samples, with 40% of these surpassing WHO guidelines of ≤ 5 μg/kg. The
hazard indices were all less than 1, implying that Ugandans who heavily rely on the herbal products
are exposed to aflatoxins at sublethal doses which may lead to chronic effects in the long run. Studies
using a larger sample size should assess whether the current observation is a routine occurrence or a
sporadic event.
