When Umm Ahmad sought a spice dealer’s help, she was looking for a recipe for losing weight. Instead, the 35-year-old housewife has suffered kidney failure as a result of a mix sold to her by an expatriate who was allegedly an “experienced” herbalist.

Cancer, kidney failure and hepatitis can be worsened by herbal mixtures that people believe are cures. Doctors and experts warn people about taking herbal treatments too seriously as if they were scientific medications. They said some items sold by herbalists pose a serious danger since some of the different herbs become toxic when mixed.

Jawaher Ali says many herbalists play the role of pharmacists, charging large amounts of money for their formulas. He called on the authorities to monitor the people and what they are producing and selling.

Khaled Jelban of King Khaled University warned against using illegal herbal mixtures and cosmetics. He explained that people mix the materials in an unsupervised way.

“It is no secret that many pharmaceutical drugs are made from herbs and that drug companies mix different kinds of herbs in certain quantities based on scientific knowledge and research,” he said and advised people to go to doctors to seek special medical expertise.

Jelban stressed the need for supervisory committees to monitor the individuals and guarantee that they are mixing herbs safely.

Badr Al-Mansouri, the owner of a shop selling herbs, disagrees. The 43-year-old considers spice dealing an old profession which he learned from his grandfathers. He says that treatment with herbs is older than the new medicine and drugs. He denies that some mixtures could be poisonous.

“We can’t possibly sell a mixture without knowing its benefits,” he said. “All mixes and recipes are tested and proven to be safe before being sold,” he said.

Al-Mansouri says that he has never received any complaint from clients, adding that he relies on the experience of his ancestors in the field.

Salah Shaddad, the owner of a herb shop, said most of his clients were women who trust the herbalist more than the pharmacist because the herbalist has practical experience with herbs. He explained that women usually look for formulas for skin care, hair loss and dandruff.

In Shaddad’s opinion, there is no similarity between treatment with new medicine and treatment with herbs. “People mistakenly believe that traditional medicine that uses herbs is an alternative to the new medicine that relies on chemicals and this is a mistake,” he said.

Abdul Rahman Al-Sahafi, media manager at the Jeddah Health Department, said that there was a committee formed by the Jeddah municipality to regulate this field.

“The committee organizes visits to the herb dealers in order to monitor violations and destroy expired herbs,” he said, advising people to avoid patronizing shops which sell herbs from unknown sources.