SUMMARYOver a 12-month period, five patients (out of a total of 72) with serious complications resulting fromuse of herbs by traditional healers were seen at the surgical unit of Olabisi Onabanjo UniversityTeaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria. The age range was one and a half to five years with a meanage of 23.4 ± SD years and a male to female ratio of 3:2. All the cases were misdiagnosed andmismanaged and ended up with various complications. Such as penile amputations, digital necrosis,upper and lower limb gangrene as well a severe sepsis among others. Ignorance, cultural beliefsand attitudes, delusion, poverty and inaccessibility to orthodox medical practice were some of thefactors responsible for the patronage of traditional healers
