Ethnobotanical study of the attitudes towards herbal remedies and conventional medicines among local population of the north Black Sea coast

Abstract

The interest in phytotherapy in Bulgaria has a longstanding tradition.

This ethnobotanical study aims to investigate the attitude of the local population of the North Black Sea coast area towards the use of plant-based products compared to conventional medications and to report the impact of various demographic indicators on it.

The survey was conducted in the period April - June 2015 in various urban and rural areas, using face-to-face interviews technique with random demographic selection of respondents, men and women of different social status and age. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was used for assessment of the impact of demo­graphics on respondents` answers.

Maximum positive attitude has been declared by the highest percentage of respondents - 33.51 percent. Neg­ative responses score a minimum of 0.54 percent. Demographics analysis presents moderate impact of age only. The percentage of respondents with a score of 10 is significantly higher for those aged over 41, com­pared to the ones under the age of 40.

Results vary in terms of ‘0` evaluation. Highest values were observed in the age groups of 41-50 and over 70.

The majority of interviewees - 75.68 percent, prefer combination therapy; 29.19 percent rely only on herbal remedies, and 12.97% indicate both answers.

The population of the North Black Sea coast area demonstrates a positive attitude towards the use of medic­inal plants and herbal remedy treatment. A clear case position has been defined: 100 percent use of medici­nal plants for prophylactic purposes, treatment - use of herbal remedies in combination with medications.