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

Aim: This study aimed to assess the prevalence, knowledge and perception of Jazan province residents about traditional herbal medication.

Materials and methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusion: 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.