Barriers and recommendations for safe herbal medications use in rural Nicaragua

Background: Eighty percent of those living in developing countries rely on alternative remedies (WHO, 2004). Working with a rural community Nicaragua, we have been presented with reports on the use of herbal remedies by the community health workers as these are often the only medications available because of the extreme poverty and lack of health care resources. It is common to have an herbal remedy reported to have positive effects on more than one health problem; from curing headaches to infertility to seizures.

There is a critical need for scientific validation of the proper use and purpose of each medication. While this validation is lacking for many herbal remedies, it is essential to provide the most accurate information to the health workers about the medications they are dispensing. This is particularly important for those who have no other resources and rely only on alternative therapies. Description: In May, 2012, we will return to Nicaragua for the purpose of identifying the herbal medications used by the health workers and dispensed at the local pharmacy. We will gather information about the uses of each medication. In October, we will return and give a workshop on the recommended uses, dosages, and frequencies of all of the medications that it is possible to identify.

Lessons Learned: We anticipate that there will be a significant lack of information available but will present lessons learned.

Recommendations: Scientific validation on the uses and effects of herbal medications is essential for safe and accurate herbal medication use.