Title : The effects of traditional herbal medicine treatment in cancer patients in Morocco
Abstract:
Introduction: Moroccan cancer patients are users of medicinal plants. The objective of this research was to evaluate the results of this use.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study with 194 users of traditional herbal medicine at the regional oncology center of Beni Mellal.
Results: The benefits of treatment were present in 39% of the informants, while the prevalence of adverse effects was 16%. All users of the seeds of Prunus armeniaca L. had shown beneficial effects, followed by turmeric Longa (50%). There was no significant difference in efficacy between the most used plants (P> 0.05). Juniperus oxycedrus L. was perceived as the most toxic plant (13 patients), it showed significantly higher toxicity compared to other plants (P <0.05). Conclusion: Cancer patients perceived medicinal plants as useful rather than toxic, preclinical and clinical research is considered necessary for the thorough evaluation of these results.
