Awareness of patients in the city of Belgrade about herbal products

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants has significant impact on human health (1,2). Approximately 13.000 medicinal plants are used worldwide (1), and in developing countries 65-80% of the population uses them for medicinal purposes (2). The aim of the study was to examine the awareness of patients in the city of Belgrade about herbal products. Quantitative, non-experimental research was conducted using a purpose-built questionnaire in public pharmacies during February 2020. The survey involved 954 respondents, mostly women (66.5%); 39.1% of respondents aged 20-40 years. Most of the respondents were employed (65.2%), with secondary school education (45.2%). The vast majority (97.3%) used medicinal plants/herbal products, mostly occasionally, as needed (38.4%). The main motive for their use was health improvement (75.2%), while 16.2% used them to treat diseases. The primary sources of information on medicinal plants/herbal products are pharmacists (45.1%) and the media (24.2%). About a third of the respondents (37.3%) stated that they knew the difference between herbal medicinal products and dietary supplements. 52.9% of respondents claimed that herbal medicinal products are effective, but less than synthetic drugs, while 61.5% claimed that they are safe, but with certain side effects. A third of respondents (32.9%) had difficulty understanding instructions for use and they needed additional explanations. Majority (70.6%) received advice from a pharmacist when buying a herbal product. Pharmacists are health professionals who have adequate knowledge of medicinal plants/herbal products and have a key role in advising patients in order to implement the proper use of herbal medicinal and other herbal products.

References 1. Capasso F, Gaginella TS, Grandolini G, Izzo AA. Phytotherapy: a quick reference to herbal medicine. Springer Science & Business Media. 2003. 2. Palhares RM, Gonçalves Drummond M, dos Santos Alves Figueiredo Brasil B, Pereira Cosenza G, das Graças Lins Brandão M, Oliveira G. Medicinal plants recommended by the World Health Organization: DNA barcode identification associated with chemical analyses guarantees their quality. PloS one. 2015;10(5), e0127866.

Acknowledgements This research was conducted with help and support of Pharmacy „Lilly Drogerie“ and funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia through Grant Agreement with University of Belgrade-Faculty of Pharmacy No: 451-03-68/2022-14/200161.

Primena lekovitih biljaka ima značajan uticaj na ljudsko zdravlje (1,2). U svetu se koristi oko 13 000 lekovitih biljaka (1), a u zemljama u razvoju 65-80% populacije ih primenjuje u medicinske svrhe (2). Cilj rada bio je ispitivanje informisanosti pacijenata na teritoriji grada Beograda o biljnim proizvodima. Sprovedeno je kvantitativno, neeksperimentalno istraživanje pomoću namenski kreiranog upitnika u javnim apotekama tokom februara 2020. godine. U istraživanju je učestvovalo 954 ispitanika, od koji 66,5% ženskog pola; 39,1% starosti 20-40 godina. Većina je bila zaposlena (65,2%), sa srednjoškolskim obrazovanjem (45,2%). Najveći broj ispitanika (97,3%) je koristio lekovite biljke/biljne proizvode i to uglavnom povremeno, po potrebi (38,4%). Glavni motiv za njihovo korišćenje bio je poboljšanje zdravlja (75,2%), dok ih je 16,2% koristilo za lečenje. Ispitanici su se o delovanju i upotrebi lekovitih biljaka/biljnih proizvoda uglavnom informisali od farmaceuta u apotekama (45,1%) i putem medija (24,2%). Oko trećine ispitanika (37,3%) je navelo da zna razliku između biljnih lekovitih proizvoda i dijetetskih suplemenata. Da su biljni lekoviti proizvodi efikasni, ali manje od sintetskih lekova, smatralo je 52,9% ispitanika, dok je 61,5% smatralo da su oni bezbedni za upotrebu, ali sa mogućim neželjenim efektima. Trećina anketiranih (32,9%) imala je poteškoće da razume uputstva za upotrebu biljnih proizvoda, te su im bila potrebna dodatna objašnjenja. Najveći deo ispitanika (70,6%) dobijao je savet farmaceuta pri kupovini biljnog proizvoda. Farmaceuti su zdravstveni profesionalci koji poseduju adekvatna znanja o lekovitim biljkama/biljnim proizvodima i imaju ključnu ulogu u savetovanju pacijenata u cilju sprovođenja pravilne primene biljnih lekovitih i drugih biljnih proizvoda.