Use of Herbal Medicine by Rural Residents in Lagos, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Medicinal plants have been used for years in daily life all over the world. Herbal medicines (HM) may be beneficial but are not completely harmless especially with unregulated use.

AIM: To assess the knowledge, preference and use of HM in a rural setting, western Nigeria.

METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study among 417 residents of Epe Local Government Area, Lagos State Nigeria conducted in mid 2016. Respondents were selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using Epi- info version 7.1.5.2. Descriptive and inferential statistics were done. P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: Nearly half (48.7%) of the respondents were between the ages of 18-33 years, over three fourths (78.4%) were married and majority (89.2%) were Yoruba. About half 207(49.6%) of respondents had good knowledge of HM. Over two thirds (67.6%) would use HM as first line treatment and 69.3% perceive it more effective than conventional medicine. Almost all (95.7%) respondents have used HM, majority (87.4%) in the last six months prior to study. Factors significantly associated with knowledge of HM are age (p=0.001) and sex of respondents (p=0.014). Significant factors influencing HM use include level of education (Fisher's exact p=0.017), religion (Fisher's exact p=0.001), and ethnicity (Fisher's exact p<0.001).

CONCLUSION: Participants were fairly knowledgeable about herbal medicine but most were oblivious of its potential side effects. Majority were HM users mainly because of its perceived effectiveness. There is need for health education in rural areas on the side effects and safe use of herbal medicines.