• Experts warn of adverse effects
By Vivian Onyebukwa
Recently, there was a report that two wives of the same husband residing in Dakwa community, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja were hospitalised due to complications after they took a herbal mixture with the intent to sexually arouse their husband, after the man had allegedly taken a third wife.
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According to the report, the herbal mixture, was popularly called ‘Kayan Mata’ in Hausa language. The women, (names withheld), allegedly took the herbs three days after their husband wedded a third wife from his home town in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital.
The man at the centre of the incident, one Musa Muhammad, who allegedly confirmed the story, reportedly said his two wives were rushed to a clinic in neighbouring Madalla town in Niger State, where they were diagnosed with damage in some of their organs allegedly caused by the herbs they consumed.
Muhammad further revealed that a herbalist usually supplied them with the herbal concoction which they mixed with milk before drinking, but noted that things took a different turn this time when they consumed a new mixture in powdered form.
He stated that when he learnt that his two wives were not feeling fine because he spent the night with his new wife at a different house, he found the two women rolling on the ground, complaining of stomach pain. Muhammed was said to have invited a nurse initially from within the community who started treating them but without any improvement. So, he took them to a clinic in Madalla town where they underwent a test and surgery. According to him, they were discharged after spending about a week there.
The report also had it that Muhammad further disclosed that a search to locate the female herbalist was on to get her investigated and save others from being her next victims.
In that report, a medical doctor, Taiye Anifowose, warned women to desist from consuming such herbs, saying they could be dangerous to their organs.
Taiye, who is a gynaecologist, said such herbs could also affect their reproductive system in the long run.
She then called for proper enlightenment by the relevant government agencies, families and community leaders on the dangers associated with such herbs.
The pursuit of intimate satisfaction and human relationships has led to the exploration of various methods and substances, including the use of aphrodisiacs. Aphrodisiacs are used to arouse sexual desire, and these are usually contained in drugs, food, drinks and beverages.
There are many substances that are used as aphrodisiacs all over the world and in Africa. Among them is the popular Kayan Mata, meaning “Women things”, which originated from the Northern part of Nigeria. It is a group of traditional medicines used by women in different forms as enhancers of sexual pleasure in Northern Nigeria.
The recipe, generally, is a combinations of herbs, fruits and spices. It consists of various components ranging from sweets, lubricants, perfumes, makeup, herbs, sweetener, powders and spices. Some are insertions while some are consumed as meals. The products have a base of honey, tiger nuts, kola nut, camel milk, millet, herbs, and roots.
It comes in three categories, which include; vagina upgrading such as sugar lumps, tsimi, madura, goron tula, madura, tauraren wuta, among others. There are also libido-boosting Kayan Mata which are used to improve sexual drive and keeping one’s partner, e.g. gindin ayu which is produced from a fish called Ayu. There is also “Favour and attraction” potion variant using potions and sex oil, e.g., Kayan Mata beads, command oil, and attraction oil, among many others.
Alhaji Mustapha owns the Kayan Mata Stores located at Akowonjo Road, Egbeda, Lagos, the herbal mixtures called Goron Tula, is known for its aphrodisiac properties which boost libido and enhance sexual health. The oils and creams such as shea butter and Argan oil are used to moisturise and soften the skin, promoting a youthful and radiant appearance. The beauty treatments are exfoliating scrubs and body wrap. They are made from natural ingredients to detoxify and rejuvenate the skin.
When Saturday Sun visited his store, Alhaji Mustafa brought out the substances. While explaining he said, “Kayan Mata are used for attraction, good luck and to hold your man. You can use as cream. You can drink it. The soap and oil are for good luck, attraction and mercy. You can bathe with the soap and rub the oil. The soap is for vagina wash, after which you insert the oil. This is to hold the man. Even if he marries another woman, it’s only you he will be looking at. If he has only you as his wife, he won’t look at another woman.”
He advised unmarried ladies to use the one that brings good luck and attraction. “For married women, the “attraction” one will only attract the man you have. If you are yet to get married, that is when it would be attracting men to you, the good ones.”
At Alhaji Mustafa shop, the complete set of “Good luck”, “Attraction”, “Mercy, and follow” substances, costs N12,000, while the complete set of “Hold your man”, is N15,000.
Confirming the efficacy of the items, he assured that it works very well, which is why a lot of female customers throng his shop every day.
Reacting to the question that if someone using Kayan Mata won’t be accused of using charms, he wondered if a traditional healer could package the product the way he did.
Though Kaya Mata started with women from the Northern part of Nigeria, it has suddenly become an increasing phenomenon, and is now widely used by women from other tribes of the country.
Since it has become a lucrative business, there has been a sudden flood of Kayan Mata products and vendors, popularising the use of the products.
Health challenges, other negative effects
The use of aphrodisiacs has been associated with different kinds of health challenges among women. They include dizziness, headache, hypertension, restlessness, unconsciousness, decrease in sex quality, priapism, itching, vaginal discharge, and in extreme case, coma.
Study showed that aphrodisiac users are likely to suffer from cardiovascular accident.
Aphrodisiac has also been related to cancer. At a one-day breast and cervical cancer sensitization with mostly women at the headquarters of Nasarawa State Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning in Lafi, Elisha Rahab, Founder and CEO, Mbegir Humanitarian Initiative, reportedly explained that the essence of the campaign was to help women stay healthy and improve their wellbeing. She however noted that some lifestyles put women at risk. These are smoking, intake of alcohol, and use of cosmetics. From statistics in Nigeria generally, breast and ovarian cancer are higher in Northern Nigeria, because of the use of a lot of ‘Kayan Mata’. She condemned the use of these things saying they are harmful to the body.
“There are a lot of cosmetics we use also that kills the tissue and the cells in the body, as well as birth control pills or contraceptives that are not prescribed by the doctor that are not good for the body. They affect the hormones that could help us fight this disease,” Rehab stated.
Tony Chidi, a married man with children, expressed worry over the escalating trend of unregulated sale and consumption of these traditional aphrodisiacs in the country. He said: “It is quite common to find sex enhancing drugs being sold in commercial buses, markets and along the streets. Most of these drugs are unregistered with the National Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Some of them may have been prepared under poor hygienic environment.”
“Kayan Mata product is a sex and love enhancer originally meant to bond couples as it possesses the power to improve their affections. However, it has been misconstrued and abused by some women who are in desperate need of men or cash. As a result, some single and desperate ladies now use it and thereby causing divorce among some spouses. They use it to hypnotise and hold men to themselves”, said Hajiya Binta.
John Okon, a husband and father of three, wondered why women, whether married or single, should be using the so called Kayan Mata. “Why,” he wondered. “It is totally wrong and unacceptable. Women should learn a natural way of keeping their men. What a man needs from a woman is respect, care, and affection. Prepare good food for him. Give him good sex, and the man will never turn to look at another woman except you. Efik women are good in taking care of their men. Other women should learn from them, than using all those harmful and ungodly substances to keep their men.
Positive effect
This age-long cultural practice has deep roots and is easily passed down from one generation to the next. Some other women from the North who spoke about it, believes that it has successfully served the purpose of ensuring social stability by contributing to the happiness of couples in marriage, especially in the Muslim environment where great emphasis is placed on maintaining stable and harmonious families. According to them, though Kayan Mata is not the sole determinant of marital stability, it equally plays a vital role in achieving stability for many women in their marriages.
Also, Comrade Emeka Anozie, married with children, in his opinion said, “There is nothing wrong in one to take care of herself medically so as to look good upstairs and downstairs, and making your partner or husband to enjoy you without need to look outside. Flirting around isn’t good for more responsible married couples.”
The post Kayan Mata: How women use herbal concoctions, enhancements to hook men appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
