Effectiveness and Safety Study of the Traditional Thai Medical Cannabis Formula for Kae-Lom Kae-sen, Muscle Tension, and Pain Relief in Patients Attending the Traditional Medicine Clinic at Suwannaphum Hospital

Abstract

Purposes : To compare the mean scores of efficacy and safety of Thai traditional medical cannabis formulas for alleviating muscle pain and to compare patient satisfaction scores among those treated at the Thai traditional medicine clinic.

Study Design : A quasi-experimental study using a one-group pretest-posttest design.

Materials and Methods : The sample consisted of 30 patients who used Thai traditional medical cannabis formulas for alleviating muscle pain at the Thai traditional medicine clinic between August 2022 and July 2023. Participants were selected using random sampling based on inclusion criteria. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and Student's paired t-test with a 95% confidence interval (CI) set for statistical significance.

Main findings :  After the intervention, patients treated at the Thai traditional medicine clinic demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the mean efficacy score (p = .018), with an improvement of 0.48 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.85). The mean safety score also showed a statistically significant increase (p = .036), with a rise of 0.57 (95% CI: 0.04, 1.18). Additionally, the mean patient satisfaction score increased significantly (p = .003), with an improvement of 0.64 (95% CI: 0.32, 0.94).

Conclusion and Recommendations : The findings indicate that the Thai traditional medical cannabis formula for alleviating muscle pain is effective and safe. It is recommended that relevant agencies promote the application of this formula in clinical practice.