Taiz, Yemen – Jaleelah Abdul Hameed, a woman in her 50s, grew up in a village 85km (53 miles) from Taiz city. She remembers how her ancestors relied on herbal medicine to treat various illnesses, but also her mother dying when Jaleelah was just a child due to a lack of proper healthcare.
“Herbal medicine was the treatment of our ancestors because there was no modern healthcare at the time. It was the only medicine available to everyone, whether rich or poor,” Jaleelah told Al Jazeera.
Recently, Jaleelah began to suffer from chest pains, but doctors failed to diagnose her illness accurately, initially telling her she had a colon ailment. She took medication for this diagnosis until she was rushed to hospital in critical condition a year ago, only to be told that it wasn’t a colon disorder but liver cancer.
“The doctors who failed to diagnose my illness couldn’t prescribe effective treatment for my liver cancer,” she told Al Jazeera. “I took the prescribed medicine for four months, but there was no improvement.”
As complex cancer cases are difficult to manage in Yemen, she was advised to travel abroad for treatment. Unable to afford international travel and encouraged by local health stores, she began to take herbal remedies to treat the cancer instead.
The owner of the herbal medicine centre prescribed Jaleelah a mixture of ground leaves and a jar of honey, although the exact ingredients were unclear.
“The success stories I heard convinced me to give herbal medicine a chance, which I did for six months. But the real story was the severe deterioration of my health,” she said.
Two months ago, Jaleelah was hospitalised once again. Upon arrival, her physician was alarmed that she had abandoned her prescribed medications and chemotherapy in favour of herbal remedies.
“It was my mistake from the very beginning. I knew deep down that herbal remedies couldn’t cure a disease like mine, but I made the wrong choice,” Jaleelah admitted. “Today, I am back on my prescribed treatment and chemotherapy, but in much worse shape.”
Medicine or business?
More than 20 million Yemenis are without access to basic medical care due to years of conflict, severe funding shortages, and the collapse of Yemen’s healthcare system, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). At least 50% of health facilities are entirely non-functional, critically hindering the country’s ability to respond to recurring outbreaks of diseases like cholera and diphtheria. Yemenis who do not have the means to seek treatment abroad are being forced to turn to traditional remedies.
Raqeeb Sultan, 48, had been suffering from severe stomach pain, particularly after eating fatty foods. Multiple doctors diagnosed him with Helicobacter pylori. He took the prescribed medication for eight months, but the pain persisted.
Acting on a friend’s recommendation, Sultan began to experiment with herbal medicine. “I went to a honey shop that offers herbal remedies. The specialist gave me plant leaves mixed with honey and advised me to avoid fatty foods,” he told Al Jazeera.
Sultan took the herbal treatment for two months and reported feeling much better. His most recent test also showed no sign of H pylori.
“It was my first time using herbal medicine, but it worked for me,” he said. “If I experience pain again in the future, I will definitely try it again.”
Herbal practitioners often claim they can treat almost any illness, but medical experts strongly dispute these claims. Many patients who rely on herbal remedies end up back in hospital, often in a worse condition, due to delays in seeking proper medical advice or not following doctors’ orders.
Dr Adel, an internal medicine specialist who requested to use only his first name to avoid confrontation with herbal practitioners, commented on the apparent disappearance of H pylori in Sultan’s latest medical tests.
“The symptoms of H pylori often come and go, and test results can fluctuate. Only qualified doctors can prescribe the proper treatment to fully eradicate the infection,” he said.
Herbal practitioners lack formal medical training and rely instead on hearsay and unproven methods tested on patients, he said. Temporary relief or the apparent disappearance of symptoms, even if temporary, are often exploited by practitioners to market their services.
“We are in the 21st century, and it is tragic to see people bypassing hospitals for herbal practitioners,” he added. “Even though Yemen’s healthcare system faces severe challenges, standard medical care remains far safer and more effective than turning to herbal remedies.”
Alternative medicine
Herbal medicine stores are ubiquitous throughout the country. For many honey shops, herbal remedies have also become a lucrative line of business.
Most of these practitioners claim to have cures for all ailments, ranging from minor headaches to cancer and chronic diseases. Some even promote their products on social media using well-known influencers.
The majority of those who sell honey and medical herbs base their practice on Islam, as honey is mentioned in the Holy Quran as a cure for various diseases. They also rely on Hadiths of the Prophet Mohammad that mention specific types of plants.
Ali, a herbal medicine practitioner in Taiz who asked not to use his real name, stated that he studied the craft alongside experts in Hodeidah governorate before moving his practice to Taiz seven years ago.
“Herbal medicine is a science. We don’t just inherit it; we learn it from veteran practitioners who have deep experience in the field,” he told Al Jazeera. “Herbal medicine has become much more popular recently because patients are seeing real benefits. That is the best evidence of its positive impact.”
Ali admits that herbal medicine remains controversial, but also accused some medical doctors of attempting to tarnish its reputation.
“No one can change the facts. I feel happy when I see patients recover from illnesses because of my remedies,” he added. “Unfortunately, some doctors are unhappy when that happens.”
Ali believes alternative medicine practitioners and doctors should work hand in hand. He says he always waits on hospital diagnoses before prescribing treatments to his customers.
“I always ask my patients to go to the hospital first to find out what they are suffering from before I prescribe any medicine,” Ali said.
Ali admitted that he lacks an official permit and operates without oversight from any regulatory body but said such licences are unnecessary as he only sells natural herbs.
One source at Taiz governorate health office told Al Jazeera that complaints against herbal medicine stores are referred to legal institutions, such as public prosecutors, rather than his department, as these stores do not provide formal healthcare and so fall outside his department’s jurisdiction.
“Some herbal shops offer other services, like Quranic recitations or even sorcery, and several have been shut down by prosecutors,” the official noted, wishing to speak anonymously.
Jaleelah, who is still suffering from cancer, insisted that oversight is urgently needed. She said that although these shops do not offer formal medical treatment, they still deal directly with patients’ health.
“The health office should supervise these herbal centres and honey shops because they are treating sick people. If they are deceiving patients, authorities must shut them down,” she said.
“We shouldn’t be victimised twice – first by being unable to access proper healthcare, and again by being duped by herbal medicine centres.”
