Comparison of diabetic patients' attitude and practice on medicinal herbs consumption and classical treatment in type 2 diabetes and related factors

Abstract

Background: Medicinal herbs are used in traditional medicine to control and treat many diseases, including diabetes. The use of medicinal plants by diabetic patients has increased dramatically over the past decade. Methods: From diabetic patients covered by Kermanshah Diabetes Center, 51 patients were selected for each of the three groups (herbal medicine, drug therapy, and combination therapy) of type 2 diabetic patients (151 patients in total). After completing the questionnaire, their attitude and practice were compared. Effective factors were also analyzed using chi-square, t-test and one-way ANOVA. Results: Significant statistical differences were reported between the mean and standard deviation of patients' attitude toward herbal medicines in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in the herbal (17.2±0.8), medicinal (9.7±2.7) and combination group (15.4±2.3) (P<0.001). There was no significant relationship between the level of positive attitude to herbal treatment with age, sex, education level, marital status, occupation and family history of diabetes. But this relationship was significant for the duration of disease and duration of treatment (P=0.01). Cinnamon, green tea, ginger, fenugreek, nettle, and turmeric were the most commonly used medicinal herbs. Conclusions: The results of this study show that diabetic patients with the use of herbal medicine had a better attitude towards the use of herbal medicines than patients with combination or drug treatment alone. Patients with shorter duration of treatment and illness had higher attitudes and performance than herbal medicines.