The Prevalance of Herbal Product Use as a Alternative Medicine Among Cancer Patients in Turkey

Abstract

Anahtar KelimelerKanser; Alteranatif Tıp; Bitkisel Ürün Abstract Aim: We investigated the prevalance of herbal product use in cancer patients who were followed up and treated at our center. Material and Method: A total of 271 patients were enrolled in this study. Patients asked to complete a questionnaire form and the stage of the patients and the treatment given were recorded following the delivery of the questionnaire form by the investigator. Results: Herbal products were used by 97 (35.7%) of 271 patients who completed the questionaire. The most common herbal products used alone or in combination were urtica urens, ginger, bee pollen, green tea. The highest use rate was observed in patients between the age of 40 and 49 (54%, p=0.099). The rate also was found to increase in in paralel to the increased level of income i.e 32% in patients with a lower income level, 35% patients with a moderate income level, and 44% in patients with a high income level (p=0.386). As the education level increased, the rate of use of herbal products also increased (p=0.023). Discussion: The use of herbal products is rather prevalent among cancer patients. There is a need to increase the awareness of the physicians regarding herbal products and educate the population as a whole.

Use of Medicinal Plants by Cancer Patients Under Chemotherapy in the Northwest of Morocco (Rabat Area) : Cross-Sectional Study

“…According to this results, the prevalence of MP use is 37%, which is consistent with previous national research 6 , 7 , 16 , 17 and some studies in other countries, 19 – 21 but higher than those found in the UK 22 and lower than that found in Iran, 23 Palestine, 24 anapolis, 25 China, 26 America 27 and Brazil. 28 Although oncologists have educated and prohibited these remedies to patients undergoing chemotherapy, by delivering premedication prescriptions mentioning the proscription of MP consumption, patients continued to use these remedies perhaps for more efficiency and to have healing results in a short time.…”

“…Its incidence is increasing worldwide. 1 According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the number of new cancer cases in 2020 is 19.2 million and the number of cancer deaths was 9.9 million. 2 In Morocco, it is estimated that in 2020, 59.370 new cases of cancer are diagnosed and number of deaths was 35.265.…”

Assessment of Consumer Perceptions in Ankara (Turkey) Toward Herbal Medicinal Products: A Survey Analysis in the Etimesgut District

“…Nevertheless, we have not obtained a clear finding from our own study. However, a correlation has been reported between HMP use and higher income (25,26), which may lead to a conclusion that HMPs are affordable by people with higher income due to their generally high prices. Relevantly, it is also interesting to note that the Turkish individuals who participated in two separate multicentered international survey studies were observed to pay the highest price for HMPs, despite their relatively lower income among the countries that participated (27,28).…”

Primary care physicians and community pharmacists approach to the use of herbal products: a pilot study in Trabzon

“…ise doktorların hastaları ile daha iyi iletişim kurabilmek ve bitkisel ürünlerin yan tesirleri hakkında daha fazla fikir sahibi olabilmek için eğitim almak istediklerini tespit etmiştir. (30) Bitkisel ürünlerin diyabet, astım ve hipertansiyon gibi kronik hastalıklarda, kanser tedavisinde (9,31) kullanıldığı bilinmektedir. (11,13,32,33) Buna karşın sağlık çalışanlarının hastalara bitkisel ürün önerdiği endikasyonlar oldukça sınırlıdır.…”