Factors influencing the use of herbal remedies/medicinal herbs among the general population in Tehran, Iran

To determine the demographic and socioeconomic factors influencing the use of herbal remedies/medicinal herbs among the general population in Tehran, Iran. Data including demographic, educational status, paid employment, area of residence, weighted asset index [calculated by weighting 16 assets], ethnicity/religion and the use of herbal remedies/medicinal herbs were collected for a sample of 4722 individuals aged 15 and over living in Tehran, Iran. Using multiple logistic regression analysis in results showed that the use of herbal remedies/medicinal herbs was lower in male than female and in never-married persons than in married or widowed/divorced. There was no association between the use of herbal remedies/medicinal herbs with age, educational status, paid employment, area of residence, having insurance, asset index or ethnicity/religion. It seems that the current pattern of use of herbal remedies/medicinal herbs is similar to the pattern of healthcare utilization; however it is not influenced by having insurance, educational or economic status

Assessing herbalists' knowledge on herbal medicine

To assess the herbalists' knowledge about characteristics of herbal medicine in Tehran, Iran. A questionnaire containing 52 false/true phrases was designed. 206 herbalists have been chosen by cluster random sampling [in 34 clusters] and were interviewed by 5 educated interviewers. Total score of herbalists' knowledge was 48.8 +/- 2.02. The knowledge regarding the 'drug preparing methods' was the highest [71.8%] and minimum score was related to 'morphology of herbal drugs' [34.3%]. There was a positive correlation between years of experience and total scores [P = 0.008, Spearman's p = 0.19]. Total scores in college-educated people were significantly higher than other groups [P < 0.001]. The scores for people who were participated in 'educational courses' was significantly higher than who reported 'mentorship training' or other methods as their training methods [P = 0.009]. The results of this study showed the inadequacy of knowledge of some herbalists about herbal medicine. Improving herbalists' knowledge by educational interventions and monitoring their work by the health administrator organizations would be effective in improving the quality of herbalists' services and making the use of herbal medicines much more logical

Traditional and complementary/alternative medicine [TCAM] in medical theses [1991-2006]

To assess TCAM in medical theses during the recent 15 years in medical schools of Tehran, Iran. All medical theses in 4 main medical schools [Iran, Shahid Beheshti, Shahed and Tehran medical schools] registered during 1991-2006 were assessed to find subjects related to TCAM. Theses were evaluated regarding the type of study, grade/ specialty of author and type of TCAM. In all, 28344 medical theses have been registered during the study period. Of these, 110 theses [3.88 per 1000] were related to TCAM. There was a statistically significant increasing trend in the proportion of TCAM subjects [P < 0.001, X < sup > 2 < /sup > for trends=42.7]. Among the TCAM studies, 37.3 percent were related to clinical aspects. The proportion of clinical topics was significantly higher for specialized degrees than the general medicine [P < 0.001]. Even though there was an increasing trend during recent years, the proportion of TCAM subjects was relatively low. Re-orienting medical students could play an important role in increasing the production of scientific evidences on the topic

Efficacy and safety of ginger to reduce nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

To assess the efficacy and safety of ginger [rhizome of Zingiber officinale] to reduce severity of nausea and numbers of vomiting in early pregnancy. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL and SID databaseswere searched for relevant sources. Randomized trials of oral ginger in comparison with placebo for nausea and/or vomiting in early pregnancy were selected. Two reviewers assessed the trial quality and extracted the data independently. Five trials met the inclusion criteria to assess the efficacy. Based on these trials, there was a significant reduction in severity of nausea after taking ginger compared with placebo [Pooled SMD= 0.882, 90% confidence interval 0.267 to 1.496]. Also there was similar effect in reducing number of vomiting [Pooled SMD= 0.631, 90% confidence interval 0.433 to 0.829]. In addition, there were 5 trials or observational studies which had assessed the potential fetomaternal side effects of ginger. There was no supporting evidence for increasing pregnancy complications after using Ginger. Based on the current evidences, Ginger reduces the severity of nausea and frequency of vomiting in early pregnancy. There are considerations about adverse effects, but they are not supported by the clinical evidence. It seems that ginger could be used during pregnancy in therapeutic doses [almost 1 gr per day] for limited durations