Patterns of Herbal Medicine Use in a General Outpatient Clinic in Nigeria- A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Herbal medicine use remains an important part of primary care and the World Health Organization has mandated member countries to conduct research into this and other forms of traditional medicine. However, research into traditional medicine remains scanty, even in the developing where it is often a major health option. Objective: to determine the prevalence, types and sources of herbal medicine used among the study population. Methods Three hundred and forty-one questionnaires were administered to adult patients attending the general outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital in Northern Nigeria. The data was collected and analysed using EPI INFO version 7.2.5.0 software. Results The prevalence of herbal medicine use was 85.34%; the commonest herbs were moringa (59.8%), black seed (36.8%), and olive oil (34.4%); and the commonest source of the herbs were herbal practitioners and herbal medicine vendors (79.04%). Herbal medicine use was associated with religion (P= 0.0005) and residential area (P= 0.01). Only 18.12 % of participants ever discussed herbal medicine use with their doctors. Conclusion: herbal medicine use remains high even among patients attending outpatient clinics in tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. However, health workers are often not the source of herbal medicine and patients rarely disclose its use to them.