Medicinal Herb Use in a Population-Based Survey of Adults: Prevalence and Frequency of Use, Reasons for Use, and Use Among Their Children

Medicinal herb use is common in this population sample. The lack of discussion between users and their physicians highlights the importance of patient-physician communication to avoid possible herb-drug interactions and surgical complications. Herb use appears to be a popular strategy for maintaining health. Children may be vulnerable to herbal toxicity and therefore clinicians need to know about their medicinal herb use and counsel appropriately.