The use of herbal teas and remedies in Jamaica

We investigated the prevalence of the use of herbs among adults and childre n in Jamaica in 1996 Two concurrent surveys were conducted in randomly sele cted urban and rural areas: among adults and among caretakers of young chil dren. From over 90% of the selected households, all caretakers of children under 6 years and one randomly selected adult (18 years or older) were inte rviewed using structured questionnaires. The 457 adults reportedly used 156 types of herbs: a mean of 6 +/- 3 (mean +/- standard deviation) by the urb an adults, and 10 6 by the rural adults (t-test, p < 0.001). Almost 100% of respondents had at sometime used herbs for teas or for treating illnesses. The most common method of preparation was by infusion or boiling in water, then adding sugar Urban respondents, women and those who were employed wer e more likely to buy medicines than to use herbal remedies. One hundred and sixty-seven caretakers of 203 children under 6 years were interviewed. The mean number of herbs given to each child was between 2 and 3. The most com mon herbs were introduced within the first 6 months of life. Many caretaker factors were associated with herbal use. Public health implications includ e the potential toxicity of some herbs, the possibility that herbal teas gi ven to young children may displace more nutritious foods and delay presenta tion to healthcare facilities. The findings will allow policy makers to tar get those most likely to use herbal preparations or to give them to young c hildren, and target herbs to be analyzed for toxic or beneficial properties .