Prevalence and associated factors of herbal medicine use among pregnant women on antenatal care follow-up at University of Gondar referral and teaching hospital, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundImproving maternal and child health is one of the public health priorities in several African countries including Ethiopia. However, research on herbal medicine use during pregnancy is scarce in Ethiopia. The present study aimed at assessing the prevalence and correlates of herbal medicine use among pregnant women on antenatal care (ANC) follow-up at Gondar university referral hospital, EthiopiaMethodsAn institutional-based cross sectional study was conducted on 364 pregnant women attending ANC clinic from March to May 2016 at University of Gondar referral and teaching hospital, northwest Ethiopia. Data on socio-demography, pregnancy related information as well as herbal medicine use was collected through an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to determine prevalence and associated factors of herbal medicine use.ResultsFrom 364 respondents, 48.6% used herbal medicine during current pregnancy. ginger (40.7%) and garlic (19%) were the two most commonly used herbs in pregnancy. Common cold (66%) and inflammation (31.6%) were the most common reasons for herbal use. Majority of herbal medicine users (89.8%) had not consulted their doctors about their herbal medicine use. Rural residency (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 3.15, Confidence interval (CI): 1.17–6.14), illiteracy (AOR: 4.05, CI: 2.47–6.62) and average monthly income less than 100 USD (AOR: 3.08CI: 1.221–7.77) were found to be strong predictors of herbal medicine use.ConclusionsThe use of herbal medicine during pregnancy is a common practice and associated with residency, level of education and average monthly income. From the stand point of high prevalence and low disclosure rate, the health care providers should often consult pregnant women regarding herbal medicine use.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1608-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Phytochemical Analysis and in Vitro Investigation of Anti-Inflammatory and Xanthine Oxidase Inhibition Potential of Root Extracts of Bryophyllum Pinnatum

“…Globally, medicinal plants are extensively used for the cure of various disorders. Drugs obtained from medicinal herbs are low-priced, conveniently accessible and have lesser side effects as compared to the synthetic drugs (Mekuria et al, 2017). Bryophyllum pinnatum (family: Crassulaceae) is also known as Bryophyllum calycinum or Kalanchoe pinnatum (Sadhana et al, 2017).…”

Herbal Products Use During Pregnancy in North of Iran

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“…There are some possible explanations for the different results obtained by similar studies. The prevalence of herbal medicine use during pregnancy depends on culture, believes, and geographic features (11,14). Moreover, definitions of herbal products are not the same.…”

Correlation of Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activity of Amla and Ginger

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