ALOMO,OSOMO: How safe?

The craze for Alomo and Osomo these days in Nigeria is alarming. I have tried Alomo too (before I started my healthy living campaign) not really for what they say it is. Lol. The truth is I discovered that it increased my libido. I was making love to my wife twice a day. Whenever I took it, I had an urge for sex….well in that case it is what people says it is….an aphrodisiac.

An aphrodisiac is a  substance that increases sexual desire. - Wikipedia

I have since stopped taking Alomo bitters. Alomo bitters have about 42% alcohol (like Vodka) in each bottle. The problem I have with Alomo and which you should be concerned about is the alcoholic content in each bottle.

A consultant cardiologist at LUTH, Dr. Goke Ale, however, labeled alcohol as “cardio toxic.” He described the combination of alcohol and sex as ‘suicidal’. “Alcohol alone can depress the function of the heart or cause abnormal rhythm of the heart because it has effects on the brain, heart, liver and blood vessels,”.

According to the Kasapreko Company, makers of Alomo bitters, it is a herbal alcoholic product made from carefully chosen tropical plant extracts and it is very well known for its proven medicinal values. It has its roots in the traditional herbal industry that is meticulously researched by the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine a World Health Organization affiliate, based at Mampong Akuapem in the Eastern region of Ghana.

The Kasapreko company has not exactly indicated how much of the bitters that could be taken for its purported health effects.

A pharmacist on rxpertcare.com says “due to its intoxicating effect, many tend to abuse it, taking much more than needed. Unfortunately, we see people drink as much as two or three bottles of 200 ml at a sitting claiming it makes them ‘feel alright’. This is an outright abuse. If you take so much over a long period of time, you may get the positive health results on the short term but be sure that it will be accompanied, by the unpleasant health effects of alcohol as time goes on.

The long term health effects of taking more than the required amount irrespective of it’s alleviating ‘bitters’ effect is basically the same as taking excess of vodka, whisky or rum.
Some of these possible adverse effects include anemia, increased risk of cancer and stroke, liver cirrhosis and reduced fertility. In addition, addiction could occur and that’s just a next door neighbor to various forms of mental illnesses.”

In his contribution, Consultant Family Physician, Nigerian Air Force Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Dr. Gbolahan Abideen, also said that there was a limit to the role that aphrodisiacs (Alomo) can play in correcting sexual disorders. For instance, Abideen said that sufferers would find aphrodisiacs(Alomo) useless in correcting premature ejaculation, which some studies have claimed to be affecting as many as one in three men.“Aphrodisiacs only work to sustain erection and not delay ejaculation in an individual with premature ejaculation. “The other bit is the unpredictable effect of the aphrodisiac (Alomo) on the heart and sometimes the kidney and liver. 

Over to YOU!