Use of Herbal Therapies by Adults Seen in an Ambulatory Care Research Setting: An Exploratory Survey

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Abstract
Objective: To identify and characterize patterns of use of herbal products among patients participating in selected research clinics. Design: Survey of three National Institutes of Health (NIH) ambulatory care research clinics. Subjects: Convenience sample of 490 adult patients (168 male, 322 female) attending rheumatology, liver, and endocrinology/metabolic research clinics. Results: Of the patients surveyed, 16.7%: (n = 82) reported using herbs. There were no significant sociodemographic differences between herb and nonherb users. Indications for herb use differed among the disease groups; patients in the endocrine and rheumatology clinics were taking herbs predominantly for "energy" or "wellness"; those attending the liver clinic tended to use herbal therapies as treatment for their disease. Mean and median monthly expenditure for herbal products was $30 and $10, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between number of herbs used and use of other dietary supplements (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: One in six patients in ambulatory clinical research settings may be taking herbal products in addition to prescribed treatment. This figure is lower than in the general population, possibly because the patients may stop using herbs when participating in a research project. Although empirical evidence on the beneficial or adverse effects of herb therapy alone or in combination with drug therapies is limited, clinical researchers should be aware of the potential for confounding clinical trial results.