Objectives: To measure the magnitude of use of so-called "herbal medications" with or without prescribed drugs and to assess the benefits and adverse effects perceived by herbal users in the Greater Beirut area.
Methods: A sample survey of 480 adults (18-65) in the Greater Beirut (GB) area was conducted over a one-month period in 2009.
Results: The estimated weighted prevalence of herbal use in the previous 12 months in GB was 58.9% (56.7-61.2). Most of the 293 users (72.4%) believed that their use had been of no benefit, but 70% thought use was relatively safe. Of users, 53% were concomitantly using conventional drugs for a chronic condition yet only 45% had thought of informing their physician about herbal use. Among the "concomitant users" 60% had suffered some form of adverse effects.
Conclusions: There is a relatively high prevalence of herbal medicine use in Greater Beirut, with an important rate of self-reported adverse effects, especially among those who suffer chronic conditions, and little exchange of information on this between patients and doctors. Data indicate the need to educate patients about realities associated with abusive use, expected benefits and potential drug-herb interaction. Patients on chronic medications should not be left to actually experience adverse effects in order to discover that herbal medicines are not always effective or innocuous.