Quma is a name people encounter on a pack or hear recommended for stomach complaints, but it does not appear in South Africa’s Medicine Price Registry as a registered medicine. This guide explains what that means, how to find out what your pack actually contains, and how to think about stomach remedies safely.
What is Quma?
We cannot tell you what Quma contains, and this page will not guess.
A search of the South African Medicine Price Registry — the authoritative database of medicines registered with SAHPRA, listing every product’s active ingredients, strength and schedule — returns no product under this name. That absence is meaningful, and it has several possible explanations:
- It may be a traditional or complementary remedy. These are widely used in South Africa and are not all listed in the medicine registry.
- It may be a general-sale product rather than a scheduled medicine.
- It may be a regional, informal or shortened name for a product registered differently.
- It may be spelled differently on the actual packaging.
- It may not be a South African product at all.
Naming a likely ingredient here would be irresponsible. Stomach symptoms are treated with medicines that work in completely different ways — acid suppressants, antacids, antispasmodics, anti-nausea medicines, laxatives, anti-diarrhoeals — and each has different cautions and different interactions. A guess would be worse than no answer.
What is Quma commonly used for?
People asking about Quma are generally asking in the context of stomach and digestive complaints. Without knowing what is in the product, no honest page can tell you what it treats.
What we can tell you is how to find out, and this is quick:
- Read the pack. Every legitimate medicine lists its active ingredients and their strengths, usually on the side or back panel. This single step answers most questions.
- Look for a registration number. Registered South African medicines carry one, often formatted like
28/2.7/0019. Complementary medicines may carry a different designation. - Take the pack to a pharmacist. This is the most reliable option and it is free. A pharmacist can identify the product, tell you what it is for, and check it against your other medicines.
- Search the Medicine Price Registry using the exact name on the pack.
- Ask whoever supplied it what it contains.
Do not take a medicine you cannot identify, particularly if you take other medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a long-term condition, or are giving it to a child.
How Quma fits into this medicine category
This page sits in the digestive and stomach category, so here is what that category contains — useful for working out which group your product belongs to once you have read the label:
| Group | Examples | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Antacids | Calcium and magnesium salts | Fast, brief relief of heartburn |
| Proton pump inhibitors | Lansoprazole, omeprazole | Reflux, ulcers; strongest acid reduction |
| H2 blockers | Cimetidine, famotidine | Moderate acid reduction |
| Antispasmodics | Hyoscine | Cramping and colicky pain |
| Anti-nausea | Metoclopramide | Nausea and vomiting |
| Anti-diarrhoeals | Loperamide, kaolin | Diarrhoea |
| Laxatives | Lactulose, senna | Constipation |
These are not interchangeable. Something that helps heartburn will do nothing for cramping; something that stops diarrhoea can be harmful in certain infections. Matching the medicine to the actual problem is the whole point. See the digestive and stomach medicines hub.
What to check before using Quma
Whatever the product turns out to be, these checks apply:
- Identify the active ingredients before taking it.
- Check it against everything else you take, including supplements and traditional remedies. Interactions are the most common avoidable harm.
- Check the expiry date, and that packaging is intact and unopened.
- Be cautious with anything sold loose, unlabelled, or repackaged.
- Ask specifically if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have liver or kidney disease, heart disease or diabetes, or are giving it to a child or an elderly person.
Traditional and herbal remedies are not automatically safe because they are natural. Some interact significantly with prescription medicines, and several are known to affect the liver or kidneys. This is not a reason to dismiss them — it is a reason to tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything you take, including remedies you might not think of as “medicine”. Many people leave these out when asked, which is precisely how avoidable interactions happen.
Possible cautions and when to ask a pharmacist or doctor
Some stomach symptoms need assessment rather than self-treatment. Regardless of what you are taking, see a doctor promptly for:
- Vomiting blood, or vomit resembling coffee grounds.
- Black, tarry stools, or visible blood in the stool.
- Difficulty or pain on swallowing, or food sticking.
- Unintended weight loss.
- Persistent vomiting, or inability to keep fluids down.
- Severe or worsening abdominal pain, or a rigid, tender abdomen.
- A first episode of significant indigestion over the age of 55.
- Yellowing of the eyes or skin.
- Signs of dehydration — dark or scanty urine, dizziness on standing, dry mouth.
- Symptoms lasting more than two weeks, or that keep returning.
Chest pain is not always indigestion. Pain with breathlessness, sweating, or pain spreading to the arm or jaw needs emergency assessment, not an antacid.
Stop taking any product and seek advice if you develop a rash, swelling of the face or lips, difficulty breathing, or symptoms that worsen after starting it.
If a remedy is not helping after a few days, that is information. Either it is the wrong medicine for the problem, or the problem needs diagnosing. Continuing an unidentified product in the hope it eventually works is the least useful option — a pharmacist can usually resolve it in a few minutes.
Related medicine guides
Frequently asked questions
What is Quma medicine used for? We cannot say. No product under this name appears in South Africa’s Medicine Price Registry, so its ingredients are not established. Read the pack or ask a pharmacist.
Why does this page not tell me what is in it? Because guessing would be unsafe. Stomach medicines work in entirely different ways and carry different cautions, so naming a likely ingredient could mislead you.
How do I find out what my pack contains? Read the active ingredients on the label, and take the pack to a pharmacist. Identification is free and takes a few minutes.
Is it safe? That cannot be answered for an unidentified product. Do not take something you cannot identify, especially alongside other medicines or during pregnancy.
Is it a registered medicine? It does not appear in the medicine registry under this name. It may be a complementary or general-sale product, or registered under a different spelling.
Can I take it with my other medicines? Not until you know what it contains. Interactions are the most common avoidable harm from unidentified products.
Are traditional remedies safe? Not automatically. Some interact with prescription medicines or affect the liver or kidneys. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything you take.
When should I see a doctor instead? For vomiting blood, black stools, difficulty swallowing, unintended weight loss, severe pain, or symptoms lasting more than two weeks.