Herbal medicine is used as the primary source of healthcare for approximately 75-80% of the world population and its use is particularly widespread in the developing countries, where it is considered more culturally acceptable, less dangerous and a more natural form of medicine that is compatible with the human body. Herbal products are defined as “herbal preparations produced by subjecting her...

BACKGROUND The use of herbal medicines among pregnant women in Nigeria has not been widely studied. METHODS Opinion of 595 pregnant women in three geopolitical zones in Nigeria on the use of herbal medicines, safety on usage, knowledge of potential effects of herbal remedies on the fetus and potential benefits or harms that may be derived from combining herbal remedies with conventional thera...

Introduction Women often use herbal remedies as a complement or alternative to traditional medicine. Guided by the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking, this study examined use of herbal remedies among mothers of young children living in the Central Appalachian Region. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among mothers of young children (n = 178). The outcome measure of interes...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and identify factors, which predict the use of herbal medicines among Malaysian adults. METHODS Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected via face-to-face interview using structured questionnaire from convenience sample of adults from four towns in Malaysia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify t...

OBJECTIVE To identify regimen, individual, community and cultural factors that affect adoption and adherence to weekly vitamin A supplementation in Ghana. DESIGN Fifty semi-structured interviews were conducted with women who would be eligible for vitamin A supplementation, 30 with husbands, and 13 with drug sellers, birth attendants and health workers. Six focus group discussions were also co...

BACKGROUND There is growing concern that serious interactions are occurring between prescribed/over the counter and herbal medicines and that there is a lack of disclosure of herbal use by patients to doctors. This study explores women's perspectives about the safety of herbal remedies, herb-drug interactions and communication with doctors about herbal medicines. METHODS Qualitative, cross-se...

AIM Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonly used all over the world, and herbal medicines are the most preferred ways of CAM. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of herbal medicine use among patients with chronic diseases. METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from April 2014 to December 2014 among patients who had been diagnosed with ...

Efficacy of a poly-gamma-D-glutamic acid anthrax capsule vaccine was assessed in a mouse model of infection. Capsule by itself was protective against lethal challenge with a toxin(-), capsule(+) Bacillus anthracis strain. Conjugation of capsule to bovine serum albumin resulted in enhanced IgG anti-capsule antibodies measured by ELISA, but completely abrogated the protection. The protective unco...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ginger in nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. DESIGN This was a single blind clinical trial study. SETTING The study was conducted in a selected prenatal care clinic of Isfahan City hospitals. SUBJECTS The subjects included 67 pregnant women who complained of nausea and vomiting from Isfahan city hospitals participated in the s...

BACKGROUND Weight-loss medicines, including crude drugs and herbal supplements disguised as diet-aid products, are readily obtainable and distributed widely, especially in Southeast Asia. Even if such products are unapproved or prescription-only medicines, consumers can purchase them through an agency or directly on the Internet. We evaluated the quality and safety of herbal products purchased ...