Awareness of Natural Herbs’ Effect on Blood Pressure among the Western Region of Saudi Arabia Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Knowledge of potential interaction between herb-drug is essential to reduce both the risk of serious medical disorders such as life-threatening arrhythmia and uncontrolled blood pressure and the increased healthcare cost, because of treating these complications. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to assess the western Saudi population’s knowledge of potential interaction between herbal preparations containing Garlic, Ginger, Cinnamon, or Liquorice when concurrently administered with conventional hypotensive therapy. The secondary aim was to explore the source of information about herbal medicine use. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January 2021 to February 2021 and involved Saudi Arabia’s population from the western region. The study involved 164 participants by stratified random sampling. Results: The commonly used herbs among the western Saudi population included Garlic (44%), Ginger (23%), Cinnamon (13%), Liquorice (3%), and others (13%). Approximately 45.1% of herb user was based on advice from friends or relatives, 38.4% were based on online information, and 16.5% were based on medical resources. Our study showed that 70.7% of the herb users weren’t asked by their physicians about using herbal medicine, also 86.6%% weren’t asked by their pharmacists. Conclusion: The study showed a low percentage of awareness of the potential effect of herbal medicines on blood pressure, and their potential interaction with conventional therapies. The study highlighted the low percentage of healthcare providers, who ask their patients about herbal medicine use before prescribing any new medication.