KNUST Nephrologist Raises Alarm Over Unlabelled “Sukudai” Product
By Esther Korantemaa Offei
An Associate Professor at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Consultant Nephrologist at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Dr. Elliot Koranteng Tanor, has raised serious concerns over the circulation of unlabelled chemical substances on the Ghanaian market, warning that such products could worsen the country’s growing kidney disease burden.
Speaking on what he described as Ghana’s “silent kidney crisis,” Dr. Tanor questioned the effectiveness of regulatory checks by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), particularly regarding substances being sold as herbal or alternative medicines.
According to him, one such product, popularly referred to as “Sukudai” or “Madara Sukudai,” has raised red flags after laboratory tests revealed dangerous chemical components.
“Of course, it is a colourless fluid and it is not labelled, and that is where the danger lies. What researchers were able to ascertain was that its content contained acetone, alcohol and zinc chloride. When rats were given different concentrations of the substance, they died within 24 hours,” Dr. Tanor said.
He explained that the lack of proper labelling and scientific verification makes it difficult for consumers to know exactly what they are ingesting.
Dr. Tanor noted that further checks suggest that products being called “Sukudai” in different parts of Ghana and even outside the country may not contain the same ingredients.
“When I followed the story and tried to look at ‘Madara Sukudai,’ I realised that across Ghana and even in other countries, people are calling different products by the same name,” he said. “So the question is, what exactly is this Madara Sukudai? That is something we still need to find out.”
He cautioned that the issue goes beyond one specific product and reflects a broader public health challenge involving unregulated substances marketed as medication.
“I think we should broaden the conversation. Anyone consuming such an item might be taking more than what we are currently discussing,” he said.
Dr. Tanor urged authorities to strengthen regulatory oversight while encouraging the public to exercise caution when purchasing unverified products.
“We should be asking what our FDA is doing to ensure such harmful products are not on the market,” he stressed. “The key question should be: who should you take a substance from and call it medication?”
Health experts warn that unsafe chemical mixtures could have severe consequences, particularly for the kidneys, which are responsible for filtering toxins from the body.
