Journal scan

Interest in 'traditional' therapies of all kinds is a key feature of our time, and researchers are beginning to rise to the challenge of collecting systematic information about an aspect of treatment which often remains largely hidden from view. This Turkish study surveyed the use of herbal therapies by a random sample of 385 older women in a city in Eastern Anatolia. The herbs, which included stinging nettle (urtica dioica) and the constituents of a range of herbal teas, such as mallow and camomile, are usually prescribed by traditional healers, who are generally older women. The study found that almost half the sample had used herbal therapies in the previous year, and who reported difficulty with activities of daily living. Such use was commonest among older women who had chronic health problems. The researchers argue that it is important for community nurses to be aware of the possible use of such traditional remedies as they could cause problems due to adulteration or misidentification, or they may interact with 'conventional' medication.