Attitudes and Beliefs of Consumers of Herbal Medicines in Riyadh, Saudi

Herbal medicine is used as the primary source of healthcare for approximately 75-80% of the world population and its use is particularly widespread in the developing countries, where it is considered more culturally acceptable, less dangerous and a more natural form of medicine that is compatible with the human body. Herbal products are defined as “herbal preparations produced by subjecting herbal materials to extraction, fractionation, purification concentration, or other physical or biological processes. They may be produced for immediate consumption or as the basis for herbal products. Herbal products may contain excipients or inert ingredients, in addition to the active ingredients they are generally produced in larger quantities for the purpose of retail sales” [1]. However, there is no specific definition or classification for herbal medicines. This is not surprising given their diversity as herbal medicines are chemically rich preparations of, essentially, any plant material.