Abstract
Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 80% of people worldwide use herbal medicines. Few studies showed that the herbal substances have significant hypoglycemic and metabolic benefits. The aim of our study is to estimate the prevalence of herbal usage among Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) patients and its relationship to glycemic control. Methodology: A cross-sectional study that was conducted at Prince Mansour military Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia during the period from March-December 2017. We included adult patients with T2D and excluded those with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and women with gestational diabetes (GDM). We included herbal substances that commonly used in our local community. Results: A total of 666 patients with a mean age of 59.3 +/- 11.5 years were included in the study. The majority of patients were females and on combined insulin and oral agents. Almost 40.0% were using herbals before the diabetes diagnosis. About 21.55% of the patients use herbal substance for diabetes related complains. The most common herbal used was the honey and cinnamon followed by black seeds. The most common reasons for the herbal usage was friend advise. The herbal users were more likely to be male (P=0.002), older age at the diabetes diagnosis (P=0.043), and have higher level of education (P=0.002). Conclusion: Our study showed that the herbal users don't have better glycemic control when compared to the non-herbal users. Gender and education are significant factors for herbal usage. Honey was the most commonly used herbals and had the better average HbA1c compared to other herbal substances.