Objectives:
To examine the pattern,
nature, and
attitude towards
herbal medicines usage in the UAE.
Methods:
A cross-sectional national
questionnaire was distributed over five weeks in 7 emirates of UAE The questioner was constructed using an online platform and delivered randomly to 448
adults in the UAE. The
data collection technique adopted for this study was a convenient sampling. SPSS version 24 was used for
statistical analysis.
Results:
Among participants, 98.7% used
herbal medicines (HMs), and
respondents who aged between 18 and 24 years were more likely to use HMs. Participant were mainly
female (70.3%), with fair
health status (55%), and participant with
chronic disease were significantly less likely to use HM (10.9%). The majority of
herbal medicine users believed
herbal medicine were harmless, because they were derivatives of
natural products. The findings of this study reported that many participants use HMs to enhance
immunity (26.8%), and for
relaxation (23.5%).
Conclusion:
Despites the
risk of adverse-effects, many participants in this study are regular users for HMs and have
perception that 89 may
cure or prevent COVID-19. Therefore,
awareness-raising campaigns that target HM users are essential to mitigate any unwanted consequences. (AU)