Patients with systemic sclerosis frequently use phytopharmaceuticals: a cross-sectional survey

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased. Phytotherapy, also known as herbal medicine, is one of the CAM therapies that involves using medicinal plants and plant-derived substances. This study aims to evaluate the use of phytopharmaceuticals and the factors associated with their use in patients with Systemic sclerosis (SSc). Our study is designed as a survey and consists of two parts with 32 questions. The first part gathers demographic data with 14 questions, and the second part assesses participants' knowledge about phytotherapy with 18 questions. The questionnaire was administered face-to-face to patients with SSc who consented to participate. One hundred participants completed the survey. Fifty-two (52%) participants had diffuse sclerosis. Raynaud's phenomenon affected 97 (97%) participants; 53 (53%) participants suffered from lung involvement, and 64 (64%) had musculoskeletal system involvement. A total of 55 (55%) participants had used phytopharmaceuticals after SSc diagnosis. Phytotherapy users and non-users had similar demographic and clinical characteristics in terms of age, gender, disease duration, type of SSc, organ involvement, and education level. Participants mostly used the following phytopharmaceuticals: 23 participants used Camellia sinensis (green tea), 16 used Hypericum perforatum, and 12 used Curcuma longa (curcumin). The most improved symptoms with phytopharmaceuticals were musculoskeletal system findings and skin thickness, as stated by participants. A significant portion of SSc patients used phytopharmaceuticals in their disease duration. Although patients stated that they benefited from phytopharmaceuticals, studies on the effectiveness of these treatments are insufficient.