Use of traditional medicinal plants by individuals with type-2 diabetes mellitus in the National Diabetic Clinic, Honiara, Solomon Islands

3^rd World Congress on Traditional and Complementary Medicine

September 10-11, 2018 Auckland, New Zealand

Cornelius Tony Vulumu, Vera N, Wate J, Kubuabola I and Khan S

National Referral Hospital, Solomon Islands

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Altern Integr Med

Abstract :

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has become a major public health issue in Solomon Islands in recent years, with prevalence estimated at 13.5%±4.3. Cultural influence on health-seeking behaviors has been documented. There is increasing interest in the use of common medicinal plants for medicinal purposes in chronic diseases due to easy accessibility and availability. There seems to be no evidence of published data on the use of TMPs in the management of T2DM in Solomon Islands. This study investigated the use of TMP by individuals with T2DM. This was a descriptive cross sectional study conducted at the National Diabetic Clinic in Honiara from June 27th to July 22nd 2016. Individuals with T2DM aged 18 years and above were randomly selected and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Categorical variables were summarized as frequencies and percentages and Chi-Square analysis was used to test relationships between variables. A total of 200 individuals with T2DM were interviewed. More than half, 63% (n=126) of the participants reported using TMPs for the management of T2DM. Common TMPs used includes Annona muricata L. (n=11), Areca catechu (n=9), Morinda citrifolia (n= 8), Carica papaya (n=8), Zingiber officinale Roscoe. (n=6) and Dioscorea (n=4). Few, 8% (n=16) stated using TMPs on currently with modern medicines, although 43% (n=86) preferred both TMPs and modern medicines. Some factors influencing use of TMPs included level of education (52-test, p=0.001), sex (52-test, p=0.034) and years of having T2DM (52-test, p=0.021). It can be concluded that most individuals with T2DM who visit the National Diabetic Clinic in Honiara, Solomon Islands use TMPs for the management of increased blood glucose levels.

Biography :

Cornelius Tony Vulumu has completed his Bachelors in Pharmacy degree from Fiji National University. He is a registered Pharmacist at the National Referral Hospital, Honiara, Solomon Islands.

E-mail: cvnyto@gmail.com