Purpose: This study explores the prevalence, type, frequency, purpose and pattern of herbal preparation use as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in a cohort of patients with diabetes in Jordan.
Method: The study took the form of a cross-sectional survey of patients attending the outpatient departments at The National Centre for Diabetes, Endocrine and Genetics (NCDEG), in Amman. The method was based on semi-structured questionnaire.
Results: A total of 1000 diabetes patients were interviewed. Of the participants, 16.6% (n=166) reported using herbs. Most of CAM users were in the age group 51-60 years (n=73, 44.0%) and predominantly female (59.6%). 139 of the CAM users (83.7%) had at least obtained a high school degree. The most common herbal product to be used was green tea (20.5%).
Conclusion: This study confirmed that there is an appreciable prevalence of herbal use among patients with diabetes in Jordan.
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