ArticleBMC complementary and alternative medicine2016
Traditional medicine practices among community members with diabetes mellitus in Northern Tanzania: an ethnomedical survey.
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 32 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 71 citations in OpenAlex.
- Ethnomedicinal Practices of the Fabaceae Family in Tanzania: A Systematic Review.TheScientificWorldJournal · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence and predictors of traditional medicine use among persons with diabetes in Africa: a systematic review.International health · 2024Pooled it
- Global prevalence and types of complementary and alternative medicines use amongst adults with diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2021Pooled it
- Use of traditional medicine for hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia measured in 71 surveys.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2025Article
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- Herbal medicine use and its impact on glycemic control among diabetes patients at governmental hospitals in Debre Berhan, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.Metabolism open · 2024Article
- Research on Moringa (Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Serum gonadal hormones levels and hypogonadism in ART naïve newly diagnosed HIV infected adult males in Mwanza, Tanzania.BMC endocrine disorders · 2024Article
- Knowledge, attitude, and utilization of traditional medicine within the plural medical system in West Java, Indonesia.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
- Hypoglycemic Assessment of Aqueous Leaf Extract ofBiochemistry research international · 2024Article
- Protection of Rights of Knowledge Holders and Practitioners of Traditional Medicine in Tanzania.The East African health research journal · 2024Article
- Prevalence of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM) among adult cancer patients in Malawi.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2022Article
- Ethnopharmacological Study of Medicinal Plants Used for the Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases and Their Associated Risk Factors in sub-Saharan Africa.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Article
- Prevalence and associated factors of herbal medicine use among adult diabetes mellitus patients at government hospital, Ethiopia: An institutional-based cross-sectional study.Metabolism open · 2021Article
- Protective Effects of Ethanolic Extract from Rhizome ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2021Article
- Repetitive Cancer Training for Community Healthcare Workers: an Effective Method to Strengthen Knowledge and Impact on the Communities: Results from a Pilot Training at Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2021Article
- Patterns and predictors of complementary and alternative medicine use in people presenting with the non-communicable disease in an urban health facility, North India.Journal of public health research · 2021Article
- Article
- Effects ofThe British journal of nutrition · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDiabetes is a growing burden in sub-Saharan Africa where traditional medicines (TMs) remain a primary form of healthcare in many settings. In Tanzania, TMs are frequently used to treat non-communicable diseases, yet little is known about TM practices for non-communicable diseases like diabetes.
methodsBetween December 2013 and June 2014, we assessed TM practices, including types, frequencies, reasons, and modes, among randomly selected community members. To further characterize TMs relevant for the local treatment of diabetes, we also conducted focus groups and semi-structured interviews with key informants.
resultsWe enrolled 481 adults of whom 45 (9.4 %) had diabetes. The prevalence of TM use among individuals with diabetes was 77.1 % (95 % CI 58.5-89.0 %), and the prevalence of using TMs and biomedicines concurrently was 37.6 % (95 % CI 20.5-58.4 %). Many were using TMs specifically to treat diabetes (40.3 %; 95 % CI 20.5-63.9), and individuals with diabetes reported seeking healthcare from traditional healers, elders, family, friends, and herbal vendors. We identified several plant-based TMs used toward diabetes care: Moringa oleifera, Cymbopogon citrullus, Hagenia abyssinica, Aloe vera, Clausena anisata, Cajanus cajan, Artimisia afra, and Persea americana.
conclusionsTMs were commonly used for diabetes care in northern Tanzania. Individuals with diabetes sought healthcare advice from many sources, and several individuals used TMs and biomedicines together. The TMs commonly used by individuals with diabetes in northern Tanzania have a wide range of effects, and understanding them will more effectively shape biomedical practitices and public health policies that are patient-centered and sensitive to TM preferences.
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