MEDICINAL PLANT USE HABITS OF PEOPLE LIVING IN URBAN AND RURAL SECTIONS OF ORDU PROVINCE

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine medicinal plant use habits of the people living in Ordu province of Turkey. A survey was conducted in 2017. A questionnaire was made with randomly selected 310 people living in city center and surrounding towns with face-to-face meetings. Present findings revealed that individuals mostly used medicinal plants occasionally (79.1%), they mostly bought medicinal plants from herbalists (69.7%), they learned about the use of medicinal plants in disease treatment from elderly (79.75) and media news increased the interest in medicinal plants (67.1%). Mint, linden, garlic, parsley, thyme and sage tea were the most common medicinal plants used in herbal drugs. Participants indicated that they usually went to the doctor when they got sick (65.8%); they used medicinal plants in treatment of chronic diseases (76.8%); they used medicinal plants supplementary to prescribed medication (62.6%); they had partial knowledge about the side effects of the medicinal plants (43.8%); they think medicinal plant were beneficial in disease treatment (55.2%); they tended to medicinal plants in treatment of some diseases without using synthetic drugs (55.2%) and they recommended the use of medicinal plants to surrounding people (63,9%). Medicinal plants were mostly used in treatment of common cold, digestive system diseases, stress/nervousness and rheumatism/joint diseases. Almost all of the participants were using infusion (brewing) method while preparing herbal drugs (100%), they usually used glass and porcelain material while preparing herbal drugs (50.7%). Majority of the participants were not using any materials to sweeten herbal drugs (35.5%), they usually preserved medicinal plants in kitchen cabinets (63.5%) and in glass jars (56.5%).