The hedonic placebo effect of traditional medicines

The hedonic placebo effect of traditional medicines All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieve system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Abstract To date, the scientific evidence on traditional medicines is scant and underdeveloped , yet, paradoxically individuals continue to use it and claim high satisfaction levels. What can explain this effect? Using self-collected data from Ghana we argue that variations in satisfaction across individuals can be attributed to the hedonic placebo effect gained from using traditional medicines, in which processes involved with its consumption are as important, if not more important, than measures of self-reported health outcome. Findings suggest that individuals' health seeking behaviour should be evaluated using procedural, as well as outcome, utility.