By Ejiofor Toochi
Growing up, Akinleye Busola Adebanke watched her mother cutting, mixing and selling herbs in Ikeja, and for over twenty years, she has become deeply rooted in the world of traditional herbal medicine–a generational business.
“My mom has been selling it for more than 25 years, she inherited it from her grandmother and mother. I can say they gave birth to her in the business, same as me,” she revealed.
The herb (agbo) business involves the combination and sale of herbs, plants and roots which are believed to have medicinal properties to treat various ailments. Busola’s family has maintained this tradition for many years in Ikeja and has adapted to modern times by establishing an online presence and offering nationwide deliveries.
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On a day to day, Busola engages in cutting and mixing herbs sold to customers. The herbs they sell, sourced from markets in Ibadan, Abeokuta, Agege, and Oyingbo, are believed to cure various ailments; piles, infections, typhoid, malaria, high blood pressure, and more. Despite the hard work involved—cutting roots daily and traveling to different markets—Busola finds satisfaction in the trust her customers place in their products. “It can be very stressful because we cut roots everyday, but can be sweet as well because we are blessed with many customers who believe herbs work,” she said. According to her, selling herbs is also like the doctors treating their patients. She considers her customers her patients.
Although Busola grew up helping her mother in the shop and learning about herbs, she never envisioned a future in that line of business. Her aspiration was to become a lawyer. “While I was young, my dream was to read law at Lagos State University (LASU) but I didn’t meet the cut off mark,” she shared. “I decided to go to polytechnic and I chose Mass Communication since law didn’t work out and I like presenters so that’s what inspired me.”
She pursued her education with determination, completing her National Diploma(ND) at Yaba College of Technology and her Higher National Diploma(HND) at Lens Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State.
“I didn’t study any course related to medicine because I used to think when I grew up I didn’t want to sell herbs and then it was a small girl mentality, but my sister studied Biochemistry at the University of Osun state and she owns a herbal shop too,” she added.
Over time, largely due to the scarcity of jobs in Nigeria, Busola acknowledged that she has decided to remain in the family business in Ikeja. “I already know a lot about it and I don’t think I can do any other business apart from selling herbs because everyone knows that’s what I do, and after all, with the situation in this country, there’s no job.” she said. Describing the herb business as quite profitable, she added, “At least in a day the lowest price we sell is N30,000, but sometimes if the market is slow we sell N12,000 to N15,000.”
However, she plans to do things differently. “I plan to modernize it in a way that it will attract people and not the old fashioned style,” she says. Her plans include investing in advertising to reach a broader audience and ensuring that the herbs she sells are of the highest quality. She also intends to create a ‘classy,’ well-designed shop that stands out from her mother’s traditional herbal shop. Busola believes that with the right marketing and presentation, traditional herbal medicine can appeal to a modern audience.
Her vision goes beyond just making the business more attractive. Busola wants to change the perception of herbal medicine in today’s world. “I want people to know that original herbs exist and it works,” she affirmed.
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