title: Use of herbal medicine among pregnant women on antenatal care at nekemte hospital, Western ethiopia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Investigations across the world confirm dramatic increment in the use of complementary and alternative medicine in pregnant women. The most important aspect is lack of awareness of pregnant women about potential effects of using traditional medicine on fetus; some herbal products may be teratogenic in human and animal models. In this area, so far, no research has been conducted in Ethiopia to assess traditional medicine use in pregnant women.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Therefore, the main objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and use of herbal drugs among pregnant women attending Nekemte Hospital to provide baseline information for future studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by quantitative and qualitative approaches to identify the prevalence of using herbal medicines among pregnant women. About 50.4% of study participants used herbal drugs during their pregnancy. The proportion of herbal drug usage was gradually decreased along with the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The most and least commonly used herbs were ginger (44.36%) and tenaadam (9.15 %), respectively. The common indications of herbal remedies use during pregnancy were nausea (23.90%) and morning sickness (21.05%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The result of the present study confirmed wide use of herbal drugs use during pregnancy that need to report the safety concerns of these drugs during pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To achieve the requirements of pregnant women, it is vital for health care workers to be familiar with the effect of herbal medicine in pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, College of Public Health and Medical Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Bodena
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bayisa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, College of Public Health and Medical Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Ramanjireddy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tatiparthi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, College of Public Health and Medical Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Eshetu
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mulisa
keywords: Herbal Medicine; Pregnancy; alternative Medicine