Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
www.pharmpress.com/fact
Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2006; 11: 14
Our aim was to determine how users of herbal remedies perceived the efficacy of this healthcare modality. We also investigated how users rated the efficacy of these remedies as being less, equally or more efficacious than physician-prescribed conventional medicines.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at 16 randomly selected primary healthcare facilities throughout Trinidad during June–August 2005. A de novo designed, pilot-tested questionnaire was interviewer-administered to 265 herbal users. χ2 tests were performed and P < 0.05 indicated statistical significance. The Ethics Committee approved the study.
Two hundred and sixty-five herbal users cited over 100 herbs for health/wellness promotion to the management of specific chronic diseases. Garlic was most commonly cited in 48.3% (128) of the sample for the common cold, cough, fever, as ‘blood cleansers’ and carminatives. Also, 20% (53) indicated its use in hypertension. In addition, 86.8% (230) perceived that herbs were efficacious and that this modality was equally or more efficacious than conventional medicines for specific ailments and diseases. Gender, age, economic status and education did not influence the users’ perception; however, ethnicity did (P = 0.029).
Most herbal users perceived that herbs were efficacious, and in some instances more efficacious than conventional medicines. We suggest that this favourable perception of efficacy is a major contributing factor fuelling the continued and increasing use of this health-care modality in Trinidad and beyond. Well-designed randomised controlled clinical trials are becoming increasingly important to inform the safe use of this healthcare modality.
