Prevalence of using folk medicine and/or natural products in the treatment of hypertension problems compared with medicinal drugs in KSA

INTRODUCTION: Hypertension (HT), the silent killer, is highly prevalent in KSA due to several reasons. Some patients used to take non-pharmacological treatment for HT management. AIM: This study focuses on the prevalence of using folk medicine and/or herbal drugs in HT treatment in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Online questionnaires will be used as a study tool among the population in different regions of Saudi Arabia, keeping in mind all ethical aspects. A sample size of 240 will be taken. Univariate and multivariable regression data analyses were used to identify factors affecting the study. To make comparisons of the proportion, chi-squared tests will be used. RESULTS: By using online questionnaires conducted on 229 participants as a study tool among the population in different regions of Saudi Arabia, we found that only 30% of the participants tried treating their high blood pressure elevation using alternative or complementary medicine, and 42.2% and 32.5% using herbal therapy and Hyjama, respectively. They consider that using Allium sativum and Hibiscus sabdariffa has a great effect which is 44.1% and 32.9%, respectively, and only 10.5% from them consider that THM is not useful. The selected alternative or complementary medicine beneficial knowledge was from the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet. Additionally, social media helps in sharing the user/practitioner beliefs, attitudes, and experiences about THM. CONCLUSION: From the previous study, we concluded that age and gender have a significant effect on health beliefs and behaviors which are associated with the use of herbal or alternative medicine in HT treatment.