Obstetricians and gynaecologists have advocated iron supplementation with local herbal drug, Mojeaga, especially in bloodless surgeries to boost women’s health during and after pregnancy.
An Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and Medical Director, Vigor Hospital Lekki, Lagos, Dr. Clement Eno-Edobor, has shed light on the revolutionary approach of bloodless surgeries and their impact on women’s health during the Mojeaga Health Webinar Series 6. Dr. Edobor, a popular face on NTA’s programme ‘Every Woman,” shared his experiences, particularly highlighting the role of Mojeaga in transforming surgical procedures.
Also, obstetricians and gynaecologists at three teaching hospitals in Nigeria had confirmed the efficacy and safety of herbal remedy, Mojeaga, in combination with conventional oral iron therapy for treating blood shortage in pregnancy.
The teaching hospitals include: Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, Anambra State; Chukwuemeka Odumegwu University Teaching Hospital (COUTH) Awka, Anambra State and Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH) Parklane, Enugu, Enugu State.
The study titled “Efficacy and safety of Mojeaga remedy in combination with conventional oral iron therapy for correcting anaemia in the obstetric population: A phase II randomised pilot clinical trial” was published in the August 2023 edition of the journal PLOS ONE.
The researchers, mostly obstetrics and gynaecologists, were led by Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at NAUTH, Prof. George Uchenna Eleje. Others include: Ifeanyichukwu Uzoma Ezebialu, Joseph Tochukwu Enebe, Nnanyelugo Chima Ezeora, Emmanuel Onyebuchi Ugwu, Iffiyeosuo Dennis Ake, and Joseph Ifeanyichukwu Ikechebelu, among others.
Mojeaga remedy is a special blend of Alchornea cordifolia, Pennisetum glaucum and Sorghum bicolor extracts.
Botanically called Alchornea cordifolia, it is called oje in Ebira-Etuno; uwonmwe in Edo; mbom in Efik; tahi in Gwari; bambani or bombana in Hausa; ubebe or ububo in Igbo; ipain in Ijaw; ukpaoromi in Yekhee; and epa or ipan-esin in Yoruba.
Sorghum bicolor belongs to the plant family Poaceae. It makes a refreshing non-alcoholic beverage, kunu-zaki (in Hausa), and tasty pap, akamu (in Ibo), and thick porridge, tuwo dawa (in Hausa). It is fermented to make sorghum beer called burkutu or pito, or made into flour and mixed with bean flour then fried to make dawaki.
Pennisetum glaucum is commonly called pearl millet, which belongs to a section of the Paniceae family known as Poaceae. It is called mawi in Gwari; damróó in Hausa; adlă in Idoma; ókōdú in Igala; ọkà mịlètì in Igbo; zumya in Jukun; and ẹmẹyẹ̀ in Yoruba.
Meanwhile, Edobor, during the webinar, titled ‘Bloodless Surgeries in Obstetric And Gynaecology- Mojeaga is A Reliable Friend’, demystified the concept of bloodless surgeries, explaining that while traditional surgeries often necessitate blood transfusions, bloodless surgeries circumvent this requirement, rendering them a safer option for patients who may decline or be ineligible for blood transfusions. These procedures encompass a spectrum of surgeries, ranging from minor interventions like appendectomies to more complex ones such as open-heart surgeries, and have gained significant momentum in Europe and the United States.
Dr. Edobor emphasised the challenges faced in obstetricians and gynaecologists, particularly the issue of excessive bleeding. He recounted a tragic case of postpartum haemorrhage where conventional interventions failed, leading to the loss of a patient.
Acknowledging the prevalence of anaemia in women, he highlighted the inadequate iron content in certain foreign drugs commonly used, contributing to health issues during pregnancy.
He expressed his dedication to finding solutions and introduced Mojeaga, a product he believes has made a significant difference. He credited Mojeaga as a unique source of iron that surpasses other supplements in efficacy, presenting a potential breakthrough in addressing anaemia and reducing bleeding complications in obstetric and gynaecological surgeries.
Edobor said therapy with Mojeaga herbal remedy has emerged as one of the adjuncts to conventional therapy for the treatment of anemia in the obstetric population. It is uncertain the benefits and safety of the therapy in the obstetric population, and whether the two weeks’ duration of therapy should suffice for clinical practice.
“Now, the bloodless surgery is not magic, I must tell you. You have to come healthy, first of all. You have to prepare yourself. If I have a procedure like hysterectomy, removal of the uterus, and the contents, I need to prepare the patient, because I’m not going to use blood. The patient is not a blood-taking client. But I want to optimise the PCV, packed cell volume. It’s not just about the packed cell volume. It has to do with the iron load. The transferrin.”
“Mojega, as a source of iron, is different from other sources of iron we used before now and the story I tell you now is not what Mojeaga told me. So, it is not what you see in Mojega literature, but rather it is something I am trying to put out. Most probably will be investigated for that and then can be included in Mojeaga literature.”
Addressing concerns about bloodless surgeries, Dr. Edobor stressed the importance of patient preparation and that patients must come in a healthy state, and for surgeries like hysterectomies, optimising parameters such as part cell volume and iron load becomes crucial. He outlined the necessity of building up patients before surgery to minimise blood loss during the procedure.
He further explained the evolving landscape of surgeries, leaning towards non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures. He cited examples in urology and obstetrics, highlighting the role of Mojeaga in facilitating bloodless surgeries and post-operative management.
Dr. Edobor’s scientific approach and appreciation for comparative data were emphasised, offering assurance to those skeptical about herbal medications. He sees Mojeaga as a key player in advancing surgical practices, potentially reducing or eliminating the need for blood transfusions and improving overall patient outcomes.
“We do more surgeries moving towards non-invasive or minimally invasive surgeries but however, there is still room for open surgery. For instance, I’ll tell you about prostatectomy. The urologists are looking at removing prostate glands microscopically, so to say but it also still depends on size. So, when it is huge, then they still have to do this. Minimal invasive surgery, there is still room for open surgeries because of the sizes of the tumours they want to remove. Then in obstetrics, for instance, in the caesarean section, there is no room for microscopic surgery. The baby must come out if that is the indication. Therefore, others like hysterectomy, you can do vaginal hysterectomy, but then it is still more like an open surgery. Then you do more abdominal surgery but then, Mojeaga is going to be a key. By this time, people are aware of this before now, I am not really a friend of other medications, I must say. I am not and I am not still a friend of other medications but I am a friend of Mojega because I have my results. Scientifically, I could work out some few things in my brain while having the results I am having.
“I remember in Samuel Ogbemudia University. Yes. I went to a conference. Funny enough, it was a conference of herbal medications and that was when I picked Mojeaga and looked at it very well again. I have heard the story about it and decided to try it out. So, Mojeaga will, with the appropriate education of the general public, with more facts that are established and published, will take surgery to a different level. In that, by pushing out first, blood transfusion, the need for blood transfusion, so that every person you want to operate on is healthy enough, they are stable enough to have their surgery. Yes. Why you cannot reduce, you cannot say there will not be bleeding in surgery. There will be. For post-up management, Mojeaga will come into play. For those that cannot afford it, in a caesarean section patient, we are willing to discharge on the third or fourth day. We have a backup.
“Mojeaga has not given me any side effects. So, that means you can actually increase the volume of blood. Permit me, even though I do obstetrics and gynaecology, I have tried the drug on one of my sickle cell patients. I decided, let me try it on these people. They come on their own to get Mojeaga without my knowledge.”