Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices regarding Medicinal Plants Used by the Indigenous People in Bahrain PDF

Keywords

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP), gender, native, herbal medicine, Arabia.

Abstract

The use of plants in traditional medicine is well-documented in the archives of folk medicine of the Arab region. These, however, mainly report medicinal uses and forms of medication. This study examines the perception of uses as well as knowledge, attitude, and practice by Bahraini people from an ethnobotanical prospective in relation to gender and few other socio-cultural factors. A pre-structured questionnaire consisting of 22 questions was distributed on the major islands of Bahrain among 312 native Bahraini people. Data was analyzed using SPSS statistical software. The results show that 95.3% of respondents used medicinal plants and 57% are knowledgeable in herbal medicine. gap between the use and knowledge values indicated loss of knowledge within the Bahraini population. Both males (75%) and females (82.7%) believe that women are the largest users of medicinal plants. The results also show that 42.3% of females compared to 27.8% of males use medicinal plants frequently or always. Both males and females use these plants to treat ailments related to different organs of the body, particularly the skin and the ear, nose, and throat (ENT). However, eye diseases and piles were the conditions least treated for: 5.6% and 7.2% of males, and 4.9% and 4.4% of females, respectively. No difference was found between males and females in relation to attitude and willingness to use medicinal plants.