Prevalence, knowledge, and perception about the use of herbal medicines jazan - Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the prevalence, knowledge and perception of Jazan province residents about traditional herbal medication. A cross-sectional study was done on 440 Saudi residents using an electronically distributed questionnaire. The questionnaire included 39 items divided into 4 parts. Data collected were about demographic characters, knowledge and perception about HM, and HM usage among participants. Most of the participants used HM for therapeutic purposes (80.9%) and (29.5%) believed that mixing herbs together led to more effective results. The participants agreed to a very high degree that inherited culture plays an important role in HM use, however (84.5%) of them never used herbs. The participants used herbs mostly for treatment of diabetes mellitus representing (37%) and hypertension (20.5%). Age, marital status, and the job of participants had a statistically significant effect on participants' views about HM. While, gender, educational level, income, place of residence and chronic diseases had no statistically significant effect. The highest percentage of the participants used HM for therapeutic purposes. Increasing awareness of Saudi population about instructions and restrictions when using HM is greatly needed.