Development of a herbal medicine formulary

Abstract

A poster presentation regarding the development of a herbal medicine formulary. Background and objectives: Herbal medicines for primary healthcare has gained grounds again in recent years. A reason for the increase in use of herbal medicines over conventional drugs is the concern about adverse effects of most of the latter. Misconceptions about the safety of herbal medicines and oversights of possible interactions with medicines are common. Formularies are considered to be a tool to support healthcare decision making process – in selecting the appropriate herbal medicine and in giving suitable advice. A formulary with locally available herbal medicinal products (HMPs) is considered an asset. The objective was to develop and evaluate a herbal medicine formulary to aid HCPs in the prescribing, dispensing of herbal medicines and in counseling patients about their use.