Awareness of herbal medicine within the Bulgarian population—a pilot study
Background: Herbal medicine has been an integral part of Bulgarian life and culture for centuries. However, incorrect use, resulting from a lack of adequate or false understanding of medicinal plants’ therapeutic properties, poses serious health risks for patients. Objectives: The main goa...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Pensoft Publishers
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Pharmacia |
| Online Access: | https://pharmacia.pensoft.net/article/140967/download/pdf/ |
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| Summary: | Background: Herbal medicine has been an integral part of Bulgarian life and culture for centuries. However, incorrect use, resulting from a lack of adequate or false understanding of medicinal plants’ therapeutic properties, poses serious health risks for patients. Objectives: The main goal is to determine the sources of information about herbal medicine. Secondary objectives include identifying the most commonly used medicinal plants, the ways to obtain them, and assessing whether herbs are used correctly by respondents. Methods: A pilot, observational, prospective, cross-sectional online survey was conducted from 19 June 2023 to 31 July 2023. A specific questionnaire with four sections was developed. Statistical analysis was performed using MedCalc software, including descriptive statistics, frequency and graphical analysis, Fisher’s exact test, and chi-squared tests. Results: The number of respondents was 59, with a predominance of individuals aged 18–30 (57.6%), women (72.8%), and university graduates (64.4%). About 31% suffer from chronic diseases, with the most common being related to the digestive system (n = 3), the nervous system (n = 3), and allergies (n = 3). Herbal medicine is considered an effective therapy by 81.4% (p < 0.0001). For acute diseases, herbs are preferred by 22 patients, while for chronic diseases, by 6. The most widely used herbs are Mentha sp. (n = 18) and Thymus sp. (n = 14) from the Lamiaceae family and Matricaria chamomilla (n = 15) from the Asteraceae family. There is a predominance of herbs reported to be used correctly (n = 123 vs. n = 22, p < 0.0001). Most respondents (70.4%) buy herbs from a herbal pharmacy or drugstore (p = 0.0004). The preferred sources of information are medical professionals (n = 51) and the Internet (n = 31) (p = 0.1080). Conclusion: A significant number of respondents obtain information from the Internet, which can lead to misinformation. Efforts are needed to develop a reliable online source of information. |
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| ISSN: | 2603-557X |