Mitigating the Risks of Herb-Drug Interaction among Artisans in Ibadan Metropolis Through Public Health Education Survey

Background: Globally, there has been an increase in the use of herbal medicines with the general misconception that herbal medicines are absolutely effective and safe. Many people often use herbs concomitantly with orthodox medicines and this may lead to fatal complications of herb-drug interactions. This cross-sectional survey assesses the knowledge and attitude of teachers and artisans on the use of herbal medicine and the possible occurrence of herb-herb and herb-drug interactions.

Method: A semi-structured questionnaire was used which covered demographics, cultural categorization of herbal medicine used, socio-economic factors (SEF), reason(s) for herbal medicine use, knowledge of herb-herb (HHI) and herb-drug interactions (HDI) and, and attitude to herbal medications (AHM) of the respondents. Data were entered into SPSS version 20 and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: There were 277 respondents, comprising 93 teachers, 77 drivers, and 107 mechanics. The response rate was 95.1%. Seventy-two (77.4%) teachers, 56 (72.7%) drivers and 101 (94.4%) mechanics use herbal medicine for infectious diseases while 57 (61.3%) teachers, 20 (26.0%) drivers and 83 (77.6%) use herbal medicine for non-infectious diseases. Assessment of SEF shows that a significant number (p=0.04) of participants were encouraged by friends to use herbal medicines while 63 (67.7%) teachers, 57 (74.0%) drivers, and 84 (78.5%) mechanics preferred herbal medicine to hospital management because it is affordable. Assessment of HHI shows 81 (75.7%) mechanics are aware of HHI, whereas 56 (72.7%) drivers and 69 (74.2%) teachers are not. Similarly, majority of the teachers (81, 87.1%) and drivers (47, 61.0%) were not aware of the possible occurrence of HDI while a significant (p=0.03) number (76, 71.0%) of the mechanics were aware.

Conclusion: The respondents’ awareness of herb-herb and herb-drug interactions was poor. Public awareness program on the potential implications and health impact of herb-herb and herb-drug interactions is highly essential.