Currently in Brazil, some herbal therapy programs are being developed in primary healthcare services to supply the communities lacking basic medicines. To investigate the use and prescription of herbal medicines in the city of Maracanú, State of Ceará, Brazil, 226 patients with prescriptions containing herbal medicine were interviewed in Family Health Care Units and their drugs prescription were analyzed. The prevalence of herbal medicines in the prescription was 20.6%. Among the 15 herbal medicines produced in city, 10 were among the prescriptions reviewed, such as capsules, ointments, gels, dyes and syrup. The herbal medicines were mainly indicated for the treatment of respiratory problems skin conditions, and diabetes mellitus. Data support the use of herbal therapy in primary health care in Maracanaú. However, it is important to emphasize that there is a need to conduct further study on the efficacy and safety of these herbal medicines, as well as on their quality control.
Herbal drugs; drugs prescription; family health
