title: Use of medicinal plants by health professionals in Mexico.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The use of medicinal plants in Mexico has been documented since pre-Hispanic times. Nevertheless, the level of use of medicinal plants by health professionals in Mexico remains to be explored.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the use, acceptance and prescription of medicinal plants by health professionals in 9 of the states of Mexico.
  
  
  METHODS
  Direct and indirect interviews, regarding the use and acceptance of medicinal plants, with health professionals (n=1614), including nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and odontologists from nine states in Mexico were performed from January 2015 to July 2016. The interviews were analyzed with the factor the informant consensus (FIC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The information obtained indicated that 46% of those interviewed feel patients should not use medicinal plants as an alternative therapy. Moreover, 54% of health professionals, and 49% of the physicians have used medicinal plants as an alternative therapy for several diseases. Twenty eight percent of health professionals, and 26% of the physicians, have recommended or prescribed medicinal plants to their patients, whereas 73% of health professionals were in agreement with receiving academic information regarding the use and prescription of medicinal plants. A total of 77 plant species used for medicinal purposes, belonging to 40 botanical families were reported by the interviewed. The results of the FIC showed that the categories of diseases of the digestive system (FIC=0.901) and diseases of the respiratory system (FIC=0.898) had the greatest agreement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that medicinal plants are used for primary health care in Mexico by health professionals.
authors.affiliation: División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. Electronic address: angeljosabad@ugto.mx.
authors.forename: Angel Josabad
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Alonso-Castro
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Oriente, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Metepec, Puebla, Mexico.
authors.forename: Fabiola
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.affiliation: Unidad Académica Multidisciplinaria de la Zona Huasteca, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Maldonado-Miranda
authors.affiliation: Programa Multidisciplinario de Posgrado en Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
authors.forename: Luis Jesús
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Castillo-Pérez
authors.affiliation: Unidad Académica Multidisciplinaria de la Zona Huasteca, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
authors.forename: Candy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carranza-Álvarez
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Eloy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Solano
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Investigación, Escuela de Odontología, Universidad Cuauhtémoc plantel San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
authors.forename: Mario Alberto
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Isiordia-Espinoza
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Productos Naturales, Instituto de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Del Carmen Juárez-Vázquez
authors.affiliation: División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: Juan Ramón
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Zapata-Morales
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Sistemas Biológicos, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana unidad Xochimilco, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Marco Antonio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Argueta-Fuertes
authors.affiliation: División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alan Joel
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Padilla
authors.affiliation: División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: César Rogelio
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Solorio-Alvarado
authors.affiliation: División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: Joceline Estefanía
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Rangel-Velázquez
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rolffy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ortiz-Andrade
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Sistemas Biológicos, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana unidad Xochimilco, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: González-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cruz-Jiménez
authors.affiliation: División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
authors.forename: Luis Manuel
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Orozco-Castellanos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
keywords: Factor of informant consensus; Health professionals; Mexican traditional medicine