Perception and Acceptance of Herbal Medicines among Residents of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The use of herbal medicines and medicinal plants available in a locality in the treatment and control of human diseases, promotion of health and management of health conditions will continue to play a significant role in the healthcare system of the people, especially in developing countries. This cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the perception and knowledge of usage of herbal medicines among the residents of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Methodology: Multi-stage sampling technique was used for this study.
 Results: The results indicated that out of the 273 questionnaires returned, 118 (44.9%) of the respondents were male while 144 (55.1%) were female. The average age of the respondents was 36±10 years. The prevalence of usage of herbal medicine from this study was 80.9%. The major source of information about herbal medicines was home (family and friends).The results also indicate that 180 (68.6%) of the respondents did not experience unpleasant effects such as headaches, vomiting, nausea and diarrhea, with the use of herbal medicines. Similarly, on the reasons for using herbal medicine, 134 (51.1%) of the respondents indicated that they used herbal medicines because they are effective, 66 (25.3%) said herbal medicines are always available mostly as locally sourced herbs, while 46 (17.7%) said herbal medicines are not costly. On the perception of herbal medicines, 206 (78.6%) indicated that herbal medicines are efficacious, 197 (75.3%) supported the integration of herbal medicines into the conventional health system, 243 (92.6%) supported the establishment of a Board to regulate the practice of herbal medicine in order to prevent indiscriminate use of herbal medicines while 234 (89.9%) of the respondents supported the establishment of a formal training institution for herbal medicine practitioners.
 Conclusion: It is concluded that herbal medicines have wide acceptability and perception among the study population. It is recommended that herbal medical practice be properly regulated and integrated into the conventional health system.

A cross-sectional survey on the use of herbal tea among Cameroonian adults (18–65 years)

“…There is therefore the need for health authorities to verify and ensure that detailed pharmacotherapeutic data on all traditional medicines of interest is made available to health care providers before their integration into the health care system. This above finding agrees with other works in Cameroon [ 15 ] and Nigeria [ 27 ], where most people perceive traditional medicines as efficacious, cost-effective and a viable alternative to orthodox medicine. This observation agrees with the general belief among most people that herbal medicines are effective, affordable, and safe [ 41 ].…”

“…A study in Bauchi, Nigeria revealed that over one-third of participants combined herbs with orthodox medications and over four-fifth of them did not inform their doctors that they used herbs [ 29 ]. In line with reports from previous surveys that females are more prone to use Complementary” “Alternative” medicine (CAM) than males [ 27 , 34 – 37 ], the proportion of herbal tea use among females in this study was slightly higher than in males, for both community and hospital respondents in the current study. Women consider traditional medicine to be safe for their health, especially in consideration of their reproductive health, including pre-natal and post-natal health, pregnancy outcomes and breastfeeding [ 38 , 39 ].…”

“…In this study, about two-thirds of the tea users received their tea prescription from someone else and one-third of the teas taken were self-prescribed. These findings were in line with findings among residents of Port Harcourt in Nigeria [ 27 ], where respondents obtained information about herbal medicine mainly from home, when family members, friends and associates shared information, knowledge, and perceptions about herbal medicine among themselves, followed by mass media and other sources. Thus, the family has a major influence in creating awareness on herbal medicines.…”

“…Sample size was calculated using the sample size determination formula: n = z 2 p (1 − p ) / d 2 where n is the minimum sample size, z is the standard normal quantile corresponding to the desired level of confidence (1.96 for 95% confidence interval), d is the expected margin error (5%), and p is the WHO reported prevalence of global traditional medicine use (set at 80%) [ 26 ]. This is also close to (80.9%) found among residents of Port Harcourt, Nigeria [ 27 ]. Adapting for an expected non-respondent rate of 25%, the sample size required for the study was 307.…”

“…In addition, there is a potential for increasing prevalence of herbal teas use in the future, as many of the respondents who had never taken herbal teas were willing to take teas in the future if necessary. The high prevalence of herbal tea use observed in this study is similar to 76.7% Baluchi, Nigeria [ 29 ] 80.9% in Port Harcourt [ 27 ] and 85.1% in Plateau State, Nigeria [ 16 ]. However, this prevalence was higher than 58.2% obtained in Sub Saharan Africa [ 4 ], 60.0% TCAM reported in Zimbabwe [ 30 ], 55.5% in Malaysia [ 28 ] and reports from previous studies in Cameroon [ 15 , 21 , 31 , 32 ].…”