Assessment of knowledge and attitude of patients on herbal medicine use in Udupi Region, Karnataka, India

Purpose: To determine the knowledge and attitude of patients on the usage of herbal medicines in Udupi Region of Karnataka State, India. Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study, carried out over a period of six months, and involving a structured and validated questionnaire. It was conducted among patients who visited hospitals in and around the Udupi region of Karnataka, India. Results: About 37 % of the respondents of the study used a combination of allopathy and herbal medicines. The results further showed that 29.8 % of respondents used allopathy, while 24.5 % were on herbal medicines. Of the total herbal medicine users, 34.07 % of the respondents stated that the reason for using herbal medicines was their perception that herbal medicines had more efficacy and comparatively lower side effects. A majority of the respondents, i.e., 64.6 %, lacked knowledge on dose, duration of therapy, side effects and interactions of the drugs. Out of 226 respondents who used herbal medicine, only 65 (28.76 %) could identify adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Among these 65 patients who could identify ADRs, only 16 (24.62 %) informed the physician about it, while the remaining 49 (75.38 %) patients did not inform the physician about it. Conclusion: The results indicate a need to conduct educational and awareness programs by AYUSH, The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy on herbal medicines and adverse drug reactions in order to minimize untoward effects caused by herbal medicines.