Introduction: Despite widespread facts about several problems associated with the use of herbal medicine, there is still wide spread evidence of increasing use in the treatment of illnesses of children especially under-five by their parents or care-givers.
Aim: To assess the prevalence and pattern of herbal medicine use in the treatment of under-five ailments among mothers and or care-givers attending clinics in hospitals in Imo State, Nigeria.
Methodology: This was a hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among 600 mothers and or care-givers attending under-five clinics in some selected hospitals in Imo State, Southeast, Nigeria. The participants were selected using stratified and systematic random sampling technique and information was collected using a pretested, semi-structured, interviewer administered questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS)
IBM version 22. Descriptive data was presented as frequency tables and graph.
Results: The mean age of the mothers/caregivers was 30.6±7.0 years. A high level of awareness about herbal medicine was reported among the women (82.7%).The prevalence of life-time and current use of herbal medicine among the mothers/care-givers for treatment of ailments in their under-five children were 46.0% and 33.3% respectively and the commonest herbal remedy ever used and currently used was Agbo herbal remedy (56.9% vs 58%).
Conclusion: The prevalence of herbal medicine use in the treatment of under-five ailments among the mothers/caregivers was high, thus considering its consequences, regulatory authorities must put in strict measures to control its use especially among children whose organs are still developing and could easily be damaged