To Determined Using of Herbal Product in Elderly People

Objective: To determine the use of herbal supplements by old people. Material and Methods: This descriptive study was a cross-sectional study and conducted between December 01, 2016-March 01, 2017 in Eastern Turkey. Random samples of 185 older participants who agreed to participate in the study took part in structured interviews at geriatrics clinic of the hospital in Turkey. The data were collected from the geriatric individuals owing to a face-to-face interview guided by a questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using with number, percentage and chi- square test. Results: Of the 185 subjects (56.2% female), 15.7% (n=29) reported using at least one of the herbal supplement. The mean age of the individuals was 76.24±8.22 (min.63-max.98) years. The most commonly used herbal supplement were stinging nettle (13.8%) and black cumin oil (10.3%). No differences in demographic characteristics were found for users and non-users. A significant difference was found between users and non-users of plant products according to their place of residence, most of the users lived in the provincial capital. We found that herbal supplement use was higher among older women (69% of those who use herbal products are old female person). Conclusion: The study shown that 15.7% of old people have used herbal supplements. There is a need for extensive research on the use of plant products by older people.