Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Diabetic Patients toward Herbal Products in Iran: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Considering that herbal medicines are commonly used for treatment or management of type 2 diabetes, the aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of patients with diabetes regarding herbal products. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 421 patients with diabetes who referred to  the Iran Diabetes Association in Tehran, Iran in 2014. The KAP of participants on herbal products were determined by a pre-designed questionnaire containing close ended questions. Results: The participnats' age Mean ± SD was 38.0 ± 20.6 years. Of 421 participants, 163 used some type of herbal products during the past year for controlling diabetes. Of these patients, 40 to 60% did not have knowledge about the possibility and desirability of using herbs along with or instead of the anti-diabetic chemical drugs. However, 71% of patients believed that they could not use herbal products without physician's prescription. Participants had a negative attitude towards using herbal products instead of conventional drugs, especially without the physician's prescription (40–60% of patients). Among users of herbal products, 53.0% believed that these products caused no side effects. One-third of patients used herbal products at least once a month for controlling or treating their disease. Most participnats (64.4%) informed their physiciens about consumingherbal drugs and 15.8% had self-prescribed use of these herbal products. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that nearly a third of patients with diabetes used herbal remedies and most of them considered these products safe. However, more than half of the patients informed their physician about using herbal medicines.