5 Funny Nigerian Health Myths

Untrue health stories you probably thought were true

Your thoughts (98)

You know how when you get sick everyone has a remedy for you! Some are better for you than others, even remedies we were fed as kids may not be entirely good for us.

In fact when someone tells us untrue things that can affect our health, it can put us in danger.

Learn to separate the facts from the fiction.

Here are some myths

Swallowing fruit seeds will make a tree grow in your stomach
If this were true, we would all be walking about with trees in our stomachs.
Fact: taking fruits regularly is good for your health as it is a source of vitamin and can help you boost your immune system. We advise that you try not to swallow seeds too often as undigested seeds can cause appendicitis.

Drinking garri causes eye problems
Yes. Too much of everything can be bad. But no eye doctor has ever said “stop taking garri, before you go blind”
Fact:Garri is made from cassava which contains some toxic level of cyanide. Hence if we consume badly processed garri we might be exposed to this toxic acid that can affect our health. The trick is to make sure you consume well processed garri and in moderation.

Eating mango after drinking garri can kill you
We don’t know where this started. We do know it’s not entirely true.
Fact: Garri is carbohydrate and mango vitamins. Both combined might not have a side effect however excess intake might cause a stomach upset or purging. Although there are some species of Mango that can be toxic. We advise you eat healthy and in moderation.

Eating the eyes of fish makes you a dull student
There is no link between fish eyes and intelligence.
Fact: fish is ‘brain food’. Studies have shown it can boost brain activity

Placing a thread on a baby’s head stops hiccups
Most babies get hiccups during feeding.
Fact: Breast milk or burping will help more than any thread, trust us.

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Share your feedback

Your thoughts

Lol...nice article. I actually believed these myths when I was little though.

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

Latest Reply

Me 2 especially d 1 of seeds

thanks

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

It not good to mango and minerals(such as coke,Fanta etc)together because it might cause stomach upset.Wash your hands before and after eating.

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

Thanks

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

Hi guys am new here bt not free to chat

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

breaking glass jails ur destiny 4 seven years......Lol Pls wt do u think of that?

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

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Hey Aice! Lol! Girl, we have never heard of this before. This is a new one to us. There are indeed so many myths in Nigeria but this one may just be the funniest we have heard in a long time. Thanks for sharing this with us.

It's silly

I HEAD IF A PREGNANT WOMAN SIT N SOME1 CROS HER LEG, HER BABY WILL LOOK LIKE DAT PERSON WHO CROS HER

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

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Hey Dola! Lol. This is another popular myth about pregnancy and we can't help but laugh. This is not true okay?

i had that pregnant woman do not use bottle to drink anything

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

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Hey Realgirl! Looool. Never heard of this but it is obviously another myth about pregnancy. The list of myths are endless. Thanks for sharing this.

U don't put ur hand in a nest or else no matter how much food you eat u wunt bellefull

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

Hmmn dis r d tings i was told wen i was small..wat a small world nd i totally believed

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

I heard dat wen 2 pple r standing nd u pass inbetween dem dat means u hv stolen deir knowledge..is it true

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

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Hey Inem! Loool… This is not true. However, it is rude to walk in between two people discussing. Thanks for sharing this.

Lol...i heard that if you go to the market by 12noon sharp and you bend to put your head in-between your legs from the front, an evil spirit will come and slap you😂

March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.

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Lol...it's under probability.

hahahahaha heard that too

Wen u drink garri den take mango can coz stomach ache

March 20, 2022, 8:02 p.m.

Is it true dat eating mango after drinking fanta can kill?

March 20, 2022, 8:02 p.m.

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Hey Blaire5! Apart from sugar as a prime ingredient, carbonated sodas don't contain ingredients that can kill you. If you eat food with a soda, you won't die. By the time the liquid and food get to your stomach, most of it has vaporized. You may feel some uncomfortable bloating from gases (which is normal), but that will pass but you definitely can't die. We hope this helps.

is it true after eatin pawpaw u we die

March 20, 2022, 8:02 p.m.

Latest Reply

Hey Efosa! No, it is not true. Paw paw does not kill. We hope this helps.

No It Not True Efosa Am New Here

Is it true that if a pregnant woman watches cartoons the baby will look like the cartoon she's watching

March 20, 2022, 8:02 p.m.

Latest Reply

Hey Goody! This is only but a myth and it is indeed funny. What you watch cannot affect your unborn baby. Thanks for sharing this.

What will happen if u put tomtom sweet inside a fanta bottle

March 20, 2022, 8:02 p.m.

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Hey Goody! This is only but a myth and there is nothing that can happen. We have never tried it but we are sure this is one of the many Nigerian myths. Thanks for sharing.

Big sis, is it true if you eat a mango fruit then drink coke, you will die?

March 20, 2022, 8:01 p.m.

Latest Reply

Hey Aquila! Apart from sugar as a prime ingredient, carbonated sodas don't contain ingredients that can kill you. If you eat food with a soda, you won't die. By the time the liquid and food get to your stomach, most of it has vaporized. You may feel some uncomfortable bloating from gases (which is normal), but that will pass but you definitely can't die. We hope this helps

but using thread to stop baby hiccups actually works......or so I think.... got curious a lot and monitored that

March 20, 2022, 8:01 p.m.

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hahhaha yea it works

FUNNY

March 20, 2022, 8:01 p.m.

eating mango and drinking coke can kill

March 20, 2022, 8:01 p.m.

All exaggeration and superstitious

March 20, 2022, 8:01 p.m.

All are superstitious expect for the last ones about babies

March 20, 2022, 8:01 p.m.

Lol. I can't believe I fell 4 d first 3. But correction on the third.. What I heard was taking mango after drinking Pepsi can kill you.. Is it true big sister?

March 20, 2022, 8:01 p.m.

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Hey cie_jae! No dear, it is not true. Apart from sugar as a prime ingredient, carbonated sodas don't contain ingredients that can kill you. If you eat food with a soda, you won't die. By the time the liquid and food get to your stomach, most of it has vaporized. You may feel some uncomfortable bloating from gases (which is normal), but that will pass but you definitely can't die. We hope this helps.

Lol

March 20, 2022, 8:01 p.m.

Lol

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

Yes,true Talk

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

AMONGST ALL OF IT,I BELIEVED ONLY NUMBER THREE ABOUT GARRI THE REST I ALWAYS KNEW THEY WERE LIES

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

abeg shift lemme faint. lols funny indeed

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

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Just pass

my grandma told me to stop drinking coconut juice(fresh one) because it will make me dull

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

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Hey TINA! That is just a myth. We cannot confirm this is true. We hope this helps

funny thing indeed

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

Big sister i heard dat is not proper to take coconut juice after taking drug dat it prevents the drug from establishing its effect. How true is it.

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

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Hey Untouchable! Thanks for opening up through this comment. It is advised that you shouldn't use any type of carbonated drinks or juices to take your drugs. We hope this helps

Is it true that putting tom tom in la casera drink can make you high

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

big sister i heard that one can die by consuming a boiled egg immediately after taking banana,is it true?

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

Latest Reply

Hey yettyissakwin12! This is not true! Eating banana and eggs will not do anything harmful to you. We eat this combination a lot of times without even knowing it i.e. banana bread, banana pancakes, banana cakes etc. So, this is a myth. We hope this helps

So people ave just being sayin myths since

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

i actually believed the first two nd five.

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

so all dis are lies well i dnt even lyk mango b4

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

True facts,thank you

March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.

Yea

March 20, 2022, 7:59 p.m.

yes,especially the last one

March 20, 2022, 7:59 p.m.

It isn't true dat takn fruit seed makes a tree grow n u.

March 20, 2022, 7:59 p.m.

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of course not cos trees need solid foundation to grow and i don't think the internal part of the body is as solid as required

Dat is a big superstition jomiloju

hiccups came be stop if u drink water.is that true?

March 20, 2022, 7:59 p.m.

Latest Reply

Hey bussy-no! Yes, hiccups can sometimes be cured by drinking water. We hope this helps

Awsome

March 20, 2022, 7:59 p.m.

It is ture

March 20, 2022, 7:59 p.m.

Awesome

March 20, 2022, 7:58 p.m.

myth: drinking coconut water makes you a dull student.

March 20, 2022, 7:57 p.m.

Hi springsters am new here i also hv one to share, i heard dat if u write anything on the floor,dat satan has tkn yr hnd writin

March 20, 2022, 7:57 p.m.

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LOOOL! This is so funny and very untrue joyson18. No one should believe this because it is only a myth. Thanks for sharing though.

Lol....

crossing someone's legs will make the children of that person short MYTH

March 20, 2022, 7:57 p.m.

is pampering ur child make u irresponsible parent??

March 20, 2022, 7:56 p.m.

Latest Reply

Hey zazu! Thanks for the comment. This is a personal thing as pampering means different things to different. Define what pampering is and also know when to draw the line. Every parent trains their child differently. We hope this helps

having sex in the car makes the car to be faulty always

March 20, 2022, 7:56 p.m.

Latest Reply

No they said, it make it not 2 move anymore

Some people have PhD in lying

or in the shop

March 20, 2022, 7:56 p.m.

Lolz,interesting

March 20, 2022, 7:56 p.m.

I have always believed dat of putting thread on a baby's head.

March 20, 2022, 7:55 p.m.

I used to think that if you drink too much water and eat too much food your stomach can burst

March 20, 2022, 7:55 p.m.

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chai!!,chisos!!!.where did u hear that one

that's what my senior sister used to tell me when i was younger

March 20, 2022, 7:55 p.m.

Honestly,I partially believed almost everything especially the garrison stuffs☆☆

March 20, 2022, 7:55 p.m.

I remember when I was 6yrs and I swallowed an orange seed, my uncle told me I was going to grow a tree in my stomach and I cried for the whole day

March 20, 2022, 7:54 p.m.

Latest Reply

Yea, I had the same issue when I was younger. I cried myself out thinking am going to go about with a tree on my head or stomach. Lol 😂

Lol

March 20, 2022, 7:54 p.m.

Lolxxxxxxxx,So funny

March 20, 2022, 7:54 p.m.

It's actually funny. I've heard most of them except the garri and eye problem myth. And even though I'm a teenager I still believe the drinking garri and mango myth. Not like I would want to prove its false😄. And the thread and hiccups myth. A few months after my mom had my younger brother he started getting hiccups and she would tell me to quickly get a piece of thread so she could put it on his head. I want to be a doctor...so whenever she told me to get thread I would find myself wondering...How will the thread affect the hiccup? There's no connection to the baby the hiccup and the thread But apparently...it's what she was told ..a long time ago And it still stuck

March 20, 2022, 7:54 p.m.

Latest Reply

sometyms it works u knw

Peepy No, it doesn't We think it works The hiccup may be mild or the baby could be getting a few hicks and it looks like it stopped because we used a piece of thread

how

March 20, 2022, 7:54 p.m.

Hi am new here

March 20, 2022, 7:54 p.m.

Latest Reply

Hey Springster! You're welcome. We hope you like the stories. Feel free to invite your friends here.

hlo,am new here

March 20, 2022, 7:54 p.m.

Please am new ,welcome me

March 20, 2022, 7:53 p.m.

funny

March 20, 2022, 7:53 p.m.