a study of the preferences of people in tabriz county on the consumption of herbal medicine

considering the clarification of negative effects of chemical medicine on human beings, tendency to use herbal medicine has been increasing. herbal medicines provide an important alternative to health the conventional medicines. the combination therapy, using both herbal medicine and conventional medicine, caused the herbal medicine to become more important than ever before. the present study examines the individual preferences for different herbal medicines. the data was obtained from questionnaires filled in by respondents selected through random sampling from citizens of tabriz city in the year 2011. a logit model was estimated. the results showed that a direct relationship between individuals' awareness about therapeutic effects of herbal medicines and their consumption exists. furthermore, women's tendency to consume herbal medicines was more than men. in addition, the people around the ages of 45 to 50 years showed fewer tendencies to consume herbal medicines whereas the consumption increases after the age 50. in conclusion, raising people awareness about therapeutic effects of herbal medicines not only improve the general health of consumers but raise consumers’ economic power due to less cost of herbal medicine to the chemical medicine.