Prevalence of the Use of Herbal Medicines among Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

hobin1 — 2025-09-11 06:14:39 UTC

The article by Asiimwe et al. (2021) is a scoping review of herbal medicine use in cancer patients from January 2000 to January 2020 and how it varies by personal and geographic factors. PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, and African Index Medicus were searched for data, including only observational studies with prevalence of use noted. 155 studies were reviewed and found that herbal medicine was used by approximately 22% of cancer patients worldwide, with the majority of use by adult women and in the continents of Asia and Africa. This review also determined that a variety of herbs that were used to relieve symptoms and to boost immunity like turmeric, St. John’s Wort, ginger, and ginseng. As an APRN, it is crucial to determine if patients are taking herbal supplements to minimize risk of herb-drug interactions and adverse effects (Asiimwe et al., 2021).

Asiimwe, J. B., Okello, S., Awor, P., Siedner, M. J., & Boum, Y. (2021). Prevalence of the use of herbal medicines among patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 21(1), 210. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-021-03382-9

I chose this article because I thought it was interesting to look at how herbal medicine is used in other portions of the world. Cancer is a worldwide problem and has no limitations on who it can affect, giving this article a large patient population to discuss. I also think it is important to see how different cultures and communities utilize herbal medicine to be aware of what patients may prefer to try as a provider. It is important to come to these conversations with an open mind and recognize that your patients may have a different experience or preference than you.

Pharmacology Week 1 Padlet by Sarah Hobin

Prevalence of the Use of Herbal Medicines among Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis