Herbal supplement usage in cardiac patients

OBJECTIVE
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has become more and more widespread around the world. CAM is a broad term that refers to all medical healthcare services, methods, and practices that are not part of standard medical care, as well as the accompanying theories and beliefs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the use of herbal medicinal products in cardiac patients, as well as the methods of administration of the products.

METHODS
This descriptive cross-sectional study included 199 patients aged over 18 years who were hospitalized in the Defne Hospital department of cardiology and volunteered to participate in a 20-item survey between April 2016 and June 2016.

RESULTS
The study results indicated that 28.6% (n=57) of patients were using herbal products and 71.6% (n=142) said they did not. Only 14.03% (n=8) of those who used herbal products said they used them in consultation with their physician; 85.9% (n=49) had used herbal medicine without consulting their doctor. Of the participants with hypertension, 35.7% of them reported using herbal medicinal products. Of these, 22.5% of them were consuming lemon, 17.5% pomegranate syrup, and 17.5% green tea. Of the participants with cardiovascular diseases, 23.5% of them stated that they were taking herbal products. Of these, 25% were consuming green tea, 25% ginger, and 18.8% sage.

CONCLUSION
Herbal medicinal supplements were used by a large portion of the cardiac patients in this study. Furthermore, most of the patients stated that they were using these products without informing their physician, a practice that can have unwanted consequences.