Medicinal plants use by patients at a Moroccan University Hospital: A cross-sectional study

Background

The use of medicinal plants is widespread in traditional medicines worldwide, including in Morocco, where their use depends on cultural, economic, and geographical factors. This study aims to evaluate the frequency of use of medicinal plants among patients hospitalized at the University Hospital Center of Oujda and to identify the factors associated with it, as well as to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this use.

Methods

A cross-sectional study, conducted from April 2022 to February 2023, was conducted in the cardiology, nephrology, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, and visceral surgery departments of the Mohammed VI University Hospital Center in Oujda. All adult patients (> 18 years old), of both genders, who consented to participate in the study were included.

Results

307 patients were collected. The mean age of our patients was 52 ± 16 years, 57 % were female. 75.9 % of patients had already used medicinal plants and 46.5 % reported having consumed more during the COVID-19 pandemic. Digestive diseases, respiratory diseases, and cancer were among the main pathologies treated with these plants. The three main plants consumed were oregano in 54.7 % of cases, rosemary in 26.4 % of cases, and eucalyptus in 26.38 % of cases. The majority of patients (68.7 %) reported an improvement in their health status after consuming the plants, while 8.2 % of them had side effects, mainly gastrointestinal disorders. The consumption of plants was significantly associated with gender (p = 0.001), origin (p = 0.001) hospitalization department (p = 0.008) and history of cancer (p = 0.026).

Conclusion

This study highlights the importance of the use of medicinal plants in Morocco, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and emphasizes the need to act on the associated factors and to raise awareness among the population about their potential side effects.