Herb and Supplement Use Among the Retail Population of an Independent, Urban Herb Store

Abstract

The prevalence of herbal medicine use among American adults is well documented. Because of the possible herb–drug interactions, health care providers need to be aware of herb and supplement use by their patients. This descriptive pilot study ( N = 35) was designed to explore the demographics, beliefs, concurrent pharmaceutical use with herbs and supplements and their primary sources of information, and reporting of use to health care providers by customers at a retail specialty “herb” store. Results revealed that 62.5% of study participants who used herbs regularly also used pharmaceuticals. Among those who used herbs and supplements with pharmaceuticals, only 33% reported that they “always” tell their care provider about them. Forty-one percent reported that they receive most of their information about herbs and supplements from retail staff, but only 3% of participants reported that their primary source of information was a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist. Findings provide direction for future study.