Knowledge and Attitude of Herbal Medicine Among Pharmacy Students of Koshi Province, Nepal
Abstract
Background: Herbal medicine also known as botanical medicine involves using plants and plant extracts to treat various health conditions. It is one of the oldest forms of health care, with roots in healing practice across cultures including Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and indigenous healing traditions. Herbal medicine relies on the medicinal properties of different plant parts such as leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in different collages of koshi province which teaches pharmacy subjects. The self-administered 25 item structured questionnaires were used to access the knowledge and attitude of students. Result: A total of 321 students participates in this study of which 169 (52.6%) were female and 152 (47.4%) were male. The age of the respondent was between 16 to 37 years. Among respondents 86% exhibits good knowledge, 97.5% demonstrated positive attitude. Conclusion: The study concludes that majority of students had good herbal medicines related knowledge and attitude however, there is a room for improvement of knowledge. This study recommends to carryout various measures such as practical workshops, field visit, research project, to fill in the gaps of knowledge and information related to herbal medicines.
Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Herbal medicines, Pharmacy students
Keywords:
herbal medications, attitudes, Knowledge, pharmacy studentsDOI
https://doi.org/10.22270/jddt.v15i4.7087References
1. Santanello C, Carr A, “Pharmacists’ Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices Regarding Herbal Medicine” Inov Pharm, 2019;10: 15 https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v10i3.2059.
2. Goitom A, Yemane F, Tsegay M, Kifleyesus A, Siele SM, Tesfamariam EH, et al. “Herbal Medicine (HM) among pharmacy professionals working in drug retail outlets in Asmara, Eritrea: knowledge, attitude and prevalence of use” BMC Complement Med Ther, 2022;22:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-022-03698-8.
3. Murtaza G, “’An evaluation of Pakistani pharmacy students knowledge of herbal medicines in Pakistan” African J Pharm Pharmacol, 2012;6:221–4. https://doi.org/10.5897/ajpp11.860.
4. Johnson T, Boon H, Jurgens T, Austin Z, Moineddin R, Eccott L, et al. “Canadian pharmacy students’ knowledge of herbal medicine” Am J Pharm Educ, 2008;72. https://doi.org/10.5688/aj720475.
5. Lambo A, “Medical Care in Developing Countries. A Primer on the Medicine of Poverty and a Symposium from Makerere. Chapter Twenty” The Village of Aro. Curare, 1989;12:139–43.
6. Kunwar RM, Mahat L, Acharya RP, Bussmann RW, “Medicinal plants, traditional medicine, markets and management in far-west Nepal” J Ethnobiol Ethnomed, 2013;9:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-9-24.
7. Alzahrani SH, Bashawri J, Salawati EM, Bakarman MA, “Knowledge and Attitudes towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Senior Medical Students in King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia” Evidence-Based Complement Altern Med, 2016; 9370721. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/9370721
8. Babar MG, Syed SH, Naing CM, Hamzah NHB, “’Perceptions and self-use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) among Malaysian dental students” Eur J Integr Med, 2012;4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2011.11.001
9. Awad A, Al-Shaye D, “Public awareness, patterns of use and attitudes toward natural health products in Kuwait: A cross-sectional survey” BMC Complement Altern Med, 2014; 14:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-14-105
10. Majeed K, Mahmud H, Khawaja HR, Mansoor S, Masood S, Khimani F, “Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Perceptions of Medical Students from Pakistan” Med Educ Online, 2007; 12: 44-69. https://doi.org/10.3402/meo.v12i.4469
11. Clement YN, Williams AF, Khan K, Bernard T, Bhola S, Fortuné M, et al. “A gap between acceptance and knowledge of herbal remedies by physicians: The need for educational intervention” BMC Complement Altern Med, 2005; 5:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-5-20
12. Sekhri K, Bhanwra S, Nandha R, “Herbal products: a survey of students; perception and knowledge about their medicinal use” Int J Basic Clin Pharmacol, 2013; 2:71. https://doi.org/10.5455/2319-2003.ijbcp20130114
13. Teschke R, Eickhoff A, “Herbal hepatotoxicity in traditional and modern medicine: Actual key issues and new encouraging steps” Front Pharmacol, 2015; 6:1–40. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2015.00072
Published
Abstract Display: 202 
PDF Downloads: 176 PDF Downloads: 3 How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2025 Sushil Regmi , Atul Adhikari , Nabin Thapa Magar , Sudarshan Dhungana , Panas Ghimire , Pranita Adhikari , Yashika Koirala
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
How to Cite
.