Herbal medicine use among urban residents in Lagos, Nigeria

Ibrahim Adekunle Oreagba,Mercy Amachree,Kazeem Adeola Oshikoya

doi:10.1186/1472-6882-11-117

Abstract

BackgroundOver three-quarter of the world's population is using herbal medicines with an increasing trend globally. Herbal medicines may be beneficial but are not completely harmless.This study aimed to assess the extent of use and the general knowledge of the benefits and safety of herbal medicines among urban residents in Lagos, Nigeria.MethodsThe study involved 388 participants recruited by cluster and random sampling techniques. Participants were interviewed with a structured open- and close-ended questionnaire.The information obtained comprises the demography and types of herbal medicines used by the respondents; indications for their use; the sources, benefits and adverse effects of the herbal medicines they used.ResultsA total of 12 herbal medicines (crude or refined) were used by the respondents, either alone or in combination with other herbal medicines. Herbal medicines were reportedly used by 259 (66.8%) respondents. 'Agbo jedi-jedi' (35%) was the most frequently used herbal medicine preparation, followed by 'agbo-iba' (27.5%) and Oroki herbal mixture® (9%). Family and friends had a marked influence on 78.4% of the respondents who used herbal medicine preparations. Herbal medicines were considered safe by half of the respondents despite 20.8% of those who experienced mild to moderate adverse effects.ConclusionsHerbal medicine is popular among the respondents but they appear to be ignorant of its potential toxicities. It may be necessary to evaluate the safety, efficacy and quality of herbal medicines and their products through randomised clinical trial studies. Public enlightenment programme about safe use of herbal medicines may be necessary as a means of minimizing the potential adverse effects.

Highlights

Over three-quarter of the world’s population is using herbal medicines with an increasing trend globally
TM has a broad range of characteristics and elements which earned it the working definition from the World Health Organization (WHO)
TM has been adapted outside its indigenous culture to “Complementary” or “Alternative” medicine (CAM) [2]

Summary

Introduction

Over three-quarter of the world’s population is using herbal medicines with an increasing trend globally. TM has been adapted outside its indigenous culture to “Complementary” or “Alternative” medicine (CAM) [2]. People developed unique indigenous healing traditions adapted and defined by their culture, beliefs and environment, which satisfied the health needs of their communities over centuries [3]. The increasing widespread use of TM has prompted the WHO to promote the integration of TM and CAM into the national health care systems of some countries and to encourage the development of national policy and regulations as essential indicators of the level of integration of such medicine within a national health care system [3,4]

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