Students’ perception, attitude and use of herbal medicine in a tertiary institution in Nigeria

Abstract

The demographic data, perception, attitude and use of herbal medicine among students offering a medically related course in a state university in a southern university in Nigeria was studied. A total of 193 self-administered questionnaires were distributed among students of 16years and above. Of these, 52.32% were males and 47.66% were females. About 53.90% of the respondents are aware and had used herbal medicine, while 46.09% do not use herbal medicine at all.. Both sexes agreed that herbal medicines are effective for treating disease. The males, more than the females had better response on attitude and perception of herbal medicine. The reason adduced for non- usage include lack of specification of dosage, contamination of products and not being sure of microbial quality. The females were more inclined to herbal use than males. The respondents recommended that herbal medicine should not be used by children, most probably due to lack of dosage of herbal products. There was significant difference between male and female responses to the various questions posed.

Keywords: Herbal medicine, males, females, students, attitude, perception, usage.