Herbal Product Use and Drug-Herbal Product Interactions in Patients with Chronic Diseases-A Cross-Sectional Study; [Kronik Hastalığı Olan Hastalarda Bitkisel Ürün Kullanımı ve İlaç-Bitkisel Ürün Etkileşimleri-Kesitsel Bir Anket Çalışması]

Herbal products are frequently used to prevent and treat diseases in the community. Although they are considered safe because they are natural, the simultaneous use of herbal products with drugs may cause drug-related problems and negatively affect therapeutic outcomes. Our study aimed to determine the herbal product use rates of patients with chronic diseases and the interactions of the herbal products used with drugs. This study is a cross-sectional survey conducted in a community pharmacy. The study included adult patients with chronic diseases who used regular drugs and had a history of using herbal products within the previous three months. The surveys included questions about patients’ demographics, diseases, drugs, and herbal products. Drug-herbal product interactions were examined through databases, monographs, and books. 93 of 148 patients were using herbal products. Most of the patients were diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes. The use of herbal products was found to be positively correlated with undergraduate educational status, asthma, COPD, diabetes, and anxiety (p<0.05). The herbal product that was most used and had the most drug interactions was garlic. The majority of drug-herbal product interactions were determined by the “drugs.com” interaction checking tool and the WHO monographs. Pharmacists should provide consultancy services to their patients on the use of herbal products. It is advisable for community pharmacists to keep their knowledge on drug-herbal product interactions updated. They can benefit from training programs on drug-herbal product interactions organized by clinical pharmacists. Thus, drug-herbal product interactions that may occur in patients can be reduced. © 2025 Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ankara (FABAD). All rights reserved.