Insite into Herbal Medicinal Practices among the Students of Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Morroco: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: This study sought to investigate the prevalence and determine factors for predicting the use of herbal medicine, among Sultan Moulay Slimane University students. Methods: This study was a retrospective cross-sectional study from March 1st, 2017 to April 13th, 2017. Four hundred seventy-six university students were interviewed using a questionnaire including a socio-demographic scale and herbal self-therapy knowledge and behaviors. The statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel ( Microsoft 2016). Results: The frequency of herbal self-therapy among Sultan Moulay Slimane University students has reached 65%. 26.07% of the participants reported that the first reason for using herbal self-therapy was a lack of money. Meanwhile, the most common conditions that prompted them to use these plants on their own were cough and cold (36.48%), and abdominal pain due to heartburn or peptic ulcer (24.41%). The most frequent self-administered plants were Thymus vulgaris (43.7%). Family, seniors, or classmates were a source of information for herbal self-therapy. Conclusion: The region of Beni Mellal, Morocco has important floristic biodiversity of medicinal plants that are used in traditional medicine practice. The present paper represents significant ethnobotanical information on medical plants, which provides baseline data for future pharmacological and phytochemical studies. Therefore, there is a need to establish effective herbal medicine policies and health education programs to discuss the benefits and risks of herbal medicine use with the aim of maximizing patient-desired therapeutic outcomes.