Friday, 13 July 2012 00:00

Written by Appolonia Adeyemi

In order to have a scientific proof for the efficacy and safety of Jobelyn,  a dietary supplement derived from leaf sheaths of sorghum bicolor, its producers, Health Forever Product Limited, is having a formal clinical trial of the product on human beings.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Health Forever Product Limited, Chief Olajuwon Okubena who disclosed this development said the clinical trial uses Jobelyn, a soghum-bicolor based products to test its safety and efficacy.
According to Okubena, although, a lot of research on Jobelyn had been done in the past, this is the first time a formal clinical trial that involves taking ethical approval from a hospital, particularly a teaching hospital is being conducted to try Jobelyn on human beings in a hospital setting.

About 250 people participated in the initial clinical trial, which lasted for three months. The exercise that began in November, 2011 and lasted for three months had just been concluded, Okubena disclosed.
He disclosed this at a Thank-You Ceremony for participants in the clinical trial, which held at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja in Lagos last Saturday.
Those present at the programme were the Principal Investigator of Jobelyn Clinical Trial, Dr. Dosumu, Dr. David Okon from Lindabel Medical Centre in Lagos, Doris Gbemiloye, founder, Genotype Foundation, among others.
Okubena disclosed that the second phase of the clinical trial, which would be on for a longer period would begin soon,
During this period, he noted that there would be some evaluation of some specific ingredients in the drug. This second trial would check on several other things, he asserted.
The CEO of Health Forever Product Limited said if the subsequent trial was conducted for a whole year successfully, which is the next stage, it would form the scientific bases to say: “Come sunshine, come rain, this product will be able to help patients. ”

Explaining why his company went into this trial, Okubena said for a long time, many doctors have always been asking whether any clinical trials of Jobelyn had been done before they would start prescribing this product.
And of course, he reasoned that clinical trials is about the highest level, which one can get to, to provide evidence of the safety and efficacy of a product. “Once you have done it, it means the product should be approved  by the medical doctors at all levels, whether primary, secondary or even at the teaching hospital level. That is the ultimate by which you can prove you have a safe and efficacious product,” he said.
Okubena described Jobelyn as a cure-all because of its antioxidants, which is very useful for people with arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, among others.

The powder extract in Jobelyn, a proprietary formulation, contains nutrients like protein that is necessary for growth, dietary fibre that is essential for digestive health and good absorption and most importantly contains special substances called phytochemicals, which have potential to significantly and positively affect human health.
“It does not matter how bad one’s arthritis is, “we recommend three capsules thrice daily for three months. Within three months the arthritis will disappear,” he said, adding, “If you use it for three months and your arthritis is not cured, come and claim your money from us.”
Speaking further, he said for those who have stroke, within one week that they start using Jobelyn, all the paralyses will return to normal, said Okubena, adding that research conducted in the United States (U.S.) shows that Jobelyn works on natural killer cells,” said Okubena.

Mother of a 14-year-old boy living with sickle cell disorder (SCD), Mrs. Ewenla Yemisi confirmed that since Jobelyn is being administered on his son, Samuel Olaniran, his condition has improved tremendously and he has been living a normal live devoid of pain that was hitherto associated with the SCD.
Founder of Genotype Foundation, Doris Gbemiloye encouraged parents and care-givers of people living with SCD to devote time to care for their children and wards. Her words: “Is that market you are going to that prevents you from caring for your child more important than the live of your child?
“It is your responsibility to care for your children. Find out whether they have taken their drugs for the day and make sure that they take their medications.
“On a daily basis, ensure that they drink four to five bottles of Ragolis Water.”