Availability of Herbal Medicines in the National List of Essential Medicines in Drugstores for Modern Medicines Located in Udonthani

Abstract

Objectives:  To identify the items of herbal medicines in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) available in pharmacies for modern medicines located in Udonthani Province, compare the average number of herbal medicines among pharmacies with different characteristics, and compile herbal medicines in the NLEM that were requested by the clients. Methods: The researchers collected data from 200 community pharmacies selected by simple random sampling from those in the database on pharmacies with licenses for drug distribution of Udonthani Provincial Public Health Office, through the interview. Subjects were practicing pharmacists in drugstores. Results: 76 practicing pharmacists in drugstores were pharmacy owners and the remaining 124 were not. Five most commonly available products in community pharmacies were turmeric capsules (198 pharmacies, 99.0%), Andrographis paniculata capsules (n=195, 97.5%), senna capsules (n= 190, 95.0%), aloe vera (n=173, 86.5%), and Thunbergia laurifolia (n=129, 64.5%). Mean numbers of herbal medicines listed in the NLEM available was 18.14+7.07 out of 74 items (Max: 42, Min: 4). Pharmacies with > 10 business hours per day stocked more items of herbal medicines than those opened < 10 hours per day (mean difference 3.22, 95% CI =1.00-5.44, P = 0.005). Five most commonly products in the NLEM that were requested by the clients (with the total of 230 requests) were Andrographis paniculata capsules (19.8%, n=125) turmeric capsules (19.1%, n=120) senna (9.8%, n=62) Phyllanthus emblica cough syrup (9.4%, n=59) and Cissus quadrangularis (8.9%, n=56). Conclusion: Numbers of herbal medicines in the NLEM available in the community pharmacies located in Udonthani province were less than 25% of the listed items. Most of the herbal medicines requested by the clients were in the category of medicine developed from herbs.