Preference, Perception And Predictors Of Herbal Medicine Use Among Malay Women In Malaysia

Figures & data

Figure 1 Flowchart of survey respondent’s selection.

Table 1 Characteristics Of Herbal Use Among Malay Women In Malaysia (n=592)

Characteristics	Mean (SD)/n	Range/%
Average RM/USD spent on herbs, mean (SD) (range)	105.9 (84.3)/24 (20.5)	0-600/0-145
Form of herbs used, n (%)
Raw herbs taken orally	268	43.9
Capsule/tablet/powder taken orally	184	30.1
Drink/tea	111	18.1
External use	48	7.9
Type of herbs, n (%)
Raw herbs	407	69.5
Commercialised herbs	167	28.5
Combination of raw and commercialized herbs	12	2.0
Herbs are taken for, n (%)
General health	271	43.9
Specific women’s problems	247	40.0
Skin problems	52	8.4
Acute illness	23	3.7
Chronic illness	19	3.1
Others, not specified	4	0.6
Herbs are obtained from, n (%)
Traditional practitioner	254	39.0
Internet	146	22.4
The jungle/around the village	116	17.8
Doctor/Pharmacist	55	8.5
Herbal shop	30	4.6
Agent/distributor	28	4.3
Shop/supermarket	8	1.2
Own herbs	7	1.1
Family/friend	5	0.8
Others, not specified	2	0.3
Reasons for herbal use
Influence from family/relative/peer	757	70.9
Easy access to herbal remedy	755	70.8
Natural taste of herbal drug	636	59.6
Better/faster results compared to conventional medicine	483	45.3
Low cost of herbal remedy	436	40.9
Health facility is too far	241	22.6

Table 2 Indications Of The Most Common Raw Herb Combinations Used Among Malay Women In Malaysia (n=407)

Local Herb Name	Scientific Name	Uses	n (%)
Kacip fatimah	Marantodes pumilum	Postnatal, general health, fertility, diabetes	38 (9)
Habatussauda	Nigella sativa	General health, skin problems, endometriosis	24 (6)
Manjakani, asam jawa, kunyit	Croton caudatus, Tamarindus indica, Curcuma longa	Postnatal	14 (3)
Tepayas roots	Carica papaya leaves	Postnatal, general health, skin problems, menstrual problems	12 (3)
Manjakani, serapat roots	Croton caudatus, Mapania cuspidate roots	Postnatal	9 (2)
Sirih rimau	Piper porphyrophyllum	Postnatal	8 (2)
Kunyit, halia, halia Jawa, misai kucing	Curcuma longa, Zingiber officinale, Curcuma zanthorrhiza, Orthosiphon stamineus	Postnatal	7 (2)
Mengkudu leaves, serai kayu leaves	Morinda citrifolia leaves, Syzygium polyanthum (Wight) Waplers leaves	Postnatal	7 (2)
Kunyit, halia, serai	Curcuma longa, Zingiber officinale, Cymbopogon	Postnatal, general health, skin problems, menstrual problems	7 (2)
Kucing galak leaves	Acalypha Indica leaves	Postnatal	6 (1)
Halia bara, jenjulung roots, serapat roots	Alpinia purpurata, Dracaena graminifolia roots, Mapania cuspidate roots	General health, skin problems, endometriosis	4 (1)

Table 3 Perception Towards The Use Of Herbal Remedies Among Malay Women In Malaysia (n=1067)

Safety And Efficacy Of The Herbal Remedies	Yes		No
	n	%	n	%
Herbal remedies are safer than modern drugs	540	50.6	527	49.4
Herbal remedies are effective for managing health problems for women	623	58.4	444	41.6
Herbal remedies should be used by all women	446	41.8	621	58.2
Herbal remedies may cause problems to women’s overall health	342	32.1	725	67.9
All herbal remedies can safely be used during pregnancy	88	8.2	979	91.8
I am satisfied with the effect and outcomes of using herbal medicines	657	61.6	410	38.4

Table 4 Factors Affecting The Use Of Herbs For Health Among Malay Women In Malaysia (n=1067)

	Beta	OR	Lower 95% CI	Upper 95% CI	p-value
Demographics (Ref)	Univariate Logistic Regression
Age (≥35)	0.359	1.432	0.117	0.602	0.004
Education (Tertiary)	−0.237	0.789	−0.525	0.05	0.105
Marital status (Married)	1.133	3.105	0.857	1.409	< 0.001
Employment (Employed)	0.571	1.770	0.300	0.842	< 0.001
Monthly income (≥ RM3000/USD729)	−1.828	0.161	−2.158	−1.499	< 0.001
Health status (Healthy)	−0.809	0.445	−1.263	−0.355	< 0.001
Demographics	Multivariate Logistic Regression
Age (≥35)	0.139	1.149	−0.199	0.476	0.421
Marital status (Married)	1.376	3.958	1.011	1.741	<0.001
Employment (Employed)	−0.045	0.956	−0.787	0.697	0.905
Monthly income (≥ RM3000/USD729)	−1.822	0.162	−2.173	−1.471	<0.001
Health status (Healthy)	−0.254	0.776	−0.817	0.309	0.377