Examining the relationship between Herbal Medicine use and Blood Pressure control in individuals on Antihypertensive therapy across two Regional Health Facilities in Trinidad.

Abstract Background Self-medication with herbal medicine (HM) to manage hypertension is an expanding trend worldwide. Still there is very little evidence to substantiate the motives for use in the control of blood pressure (BP). This study aims to ascertain the relationship between HM and antihypertensive treatment to manage hypertension across two regional health facilities in Trinidad. Methods This cross-sectional investigation surveyed hypertensive patients aged 35–64 from the North-Central and Eastern Regional Health facilities across Trinidad. Consent was obtained from 139 participants through convenience sampling. Data included a self-reporting questionnaire and patient medical records. Analysis using Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U tests for data not normally distributed and statistical significance at the 95% confidence interval. Results HM-users were either hypertensive stage 1 or 2 with no significant correlation between BMI and hypertensive stage (p-value = -0.053, p-value = 0.537). Garlic, Allium sativum L (57%) most used as a tea, was taken daily ‘to control BP’. Current systolic and diastolic BP was higher among HM-users, compared to non-users with no statistical significance. Controlled-BP, HM-users (15.7%) showed statistical significance (p A. sativum, was preferred for BP control, however, this study showed no significant changes in BP compared to non-users. Conclusion Patient medication concordance is imperative. Herb-drug interactions may be associated with the higher prevalence of patients at hypertensive stages 1 and 2 that are uncontrolled in this study.