Evaluation of herbal medicine diversity and therapeutic usage among kidney stone patients attending to Sabzevar Vasei hospital in 2012

Abstract

Introduction: Kidney stone as the third common urinary tract disease is a global concern which is not restricted to any special race, region or culture. There are many different surgical procedures, with their own complications and costs, for treating kidney stones. On the other hand, there are also many different herbal medicines available for treating these stones. Evaluating herbal medicine diversity and therapeutic usage among kidney stone patients attending to Sabzevar Vasei hospital in 2012 is the aim of this study. Materials and methods: Two hundred and nighty kidney stone patients referred to Vasei hospital were enrolled in this descriptive cross sectional study. Patient’s data was collected by a researcher made questionnaire and were analyzed with SPSS software by use of Fisher and Chi square statistical tests. Results: From total of 290 participants, 55.17% (160 participants) used herbal medicine for curing their kidney stones. The most prevalent and efficient herbal medicine was boiled watermelon juice. There was significant relation between herbal drug usage and age, gender, living location and no significant relation with participant’s education level. Family suggestion was the most chosen reason for using herbal medicine among 7 given reasons and lack of enough knowledge about the proper herbal medicine was the most chosen reason for avoiding herbal medicine use among 8 given choices.