ArticleBMC complementary and alternative medicine2016
Herbal medicine use behaviour in Australian adults who experience anxiety: a descriptive study.
Article in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Identifying complementary and alternative medicine recommendations for anxiety treatment and care: a systematic review and critical assessment of comprehensive clinical practice guidelines.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Lavender aromatherapy: A systematic review from essential oil quality and administration methods to cognitive enhancing effects.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2022Pooled it
- Short-term open-label chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) therapy of moderate to severe generalized anxiety disorder.Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology · 2016Trial
- Ethnobotanical Uses and Phytochemical, Pharmacological, Behavioral, and Toxicological Effects ofMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Efficacy and Safety of Herbal Supplements with Anxiolytic, Antidepressant, and Sedative Action: A Review of Clinical Data and Toxicological Risks.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effect of Lavender Essential Oil-based Aromatherapy on Anxiety: An Overview of Results of Recent Randomized Controlled Trials.Current pharmaceutical design · 2026Review
- Cross-Cultural Patient Counseling and Communication in the Integrative Medicine Setting: Respecting the Patient's Health Belief Model of Care.Current psychiatry reports · 2024Review
- Green rush and red warnings: Retrospective chart review of adverse events of interactions between cannabinoids and psychotropic drugs.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- The engagement of psychology with complementary medicine: A critical integrative review.Heliyon · 2023Review
- The Effect of Herbal Medicine on Suicidal Behavior: A Protocol for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The prevalence and predictors of herb-drug interactions among Iranian cancer patients during chemotherapy courses.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2023Article
- Harder, better, faster, stronger? Retrospective chart review of adverse events of interactions between adaptogens and antidepressant drugs.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
- Health literacy in dietary supplement use among working-age groups: systematic review and meta-analysis.Heliyon · 2022Article
- Unprescribed and unnoticed: Retrospective chart review of adverse events of interactions between antidepressants and over-the-counter drugs.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- Dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying the antidepressant activities of herbal medicines through the comprehensive review of the recent literatures.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Review
- Conventional and complementary health care use and out-of-pocket expenses among Australians with a self-reported mental health diagnosis: a cross-sectional survey.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- What motivates new, established and long-term users of herbal medicine: is there more than push and pull?BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAnxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health condition in Australia. In addition, there are many people who experience problematic anxiety symptoms who do not receive an anxiety disorder diagnosis but require treatment. As herbal medicine use is popular in Australia, and little is known about how adults experiencing anxiety are using these medicines, this study aimed to identify how Australian adults who experience anxiety are using herbal medicines.
methodsAn online cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using purposive convenience sampling to recruit Australian adults who have experienced anxiety symptoms and have used herbal medicines (N = 400). Descriptive statistics, chi-square test of contingency, analysis of variance, and simple logistic regression was used to analyse the data.
resultsEighty two percent of participants experienced anxiety symptoms in the previous 12 months, with 47% reporting having previously been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. In addition, 72.8% had used herbal medicines specifically for anxiety symptoms in their lifetime, while 55.3% had used prescribed pharmaceuticals, with 27.5% having used herbal medicines concurrently with prescribed pharmaceuticals. The Internet and family and friends were the most frequently used sources of information about herbal medicines. Forty eight percent of participants did not disclose their herbal medicine use to their doctor.
conclusionsHerbal medicines are being used by adults with anxiety and are commonly self-prescribed for anxiety symptoms. Health practitioners who are experts in herbal medicine prescribing are consulted infrequently. In addition, herbal medicine use is often not disclosed to health practitioners. These behaviours are concerning as people may not be receiving the most suitable treatments, and their use of herbal medicines may even be dangerous. It is critical we develop a better understanding of why people are using these medicines, and how we can develop improved health literacy to help with treatment decision making to ensure people receive optimal care.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.