The prevalence of herbal medicine use and related factors among diabetic patients in Tabriz, Iran, 2023: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objectives: This study was designed to characterize the prevalence, pattern of herbal use, and related factors among diabetic patients in Tabriz, Iran.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 322 diabetic patients with random cluster sampling of specialized and subspecialized clinics in Tabriz, Iran. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between predictor variables (sociodemographic and disease-related characteristics and patient preference for treatment type) with herb use Interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire from October 1, 2022, to April 23, 2023. Data was analyzed using SPSS software.

Results: Out of 322 patients, 155 individuals (48.1%) used herbal medicines to lower their blood sugar. The most commonly used herbs included Urtica dioica L. (51.6%), Abelmoschus esculentus L. (14.8%), Eryngium planum L. (11%), Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (9%) and Cinnamomum verum (9%). The chance of herb use in women was 1.64 times (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.06 to 2.55) higher than men. With each passing year of diabetes diagnosis, the probability of using herbal medicines increased by 5% (AOR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.08). Diabetic patients who use herbal medicines significantly prefer to use their conventional medications alongside herbal remedies (P-value < 0.001) and only a small percentage of them prefer to rely solely on herbs.

Conclusions: Some of the diabetic patients in Tabriz, Iran, use herbal medicines for managing diabetes. Female gender, longer duration of diabetes, and patients who prefer to use both treatment (conventional and traditional) methods were identified as predicting factors for herbal medicinal use among diabetic patients.

Keywords: Diabetes; Herbal medicine; Persian medicine; Predictors; Traditional therapies.