Abstract:

ABSTRACT Background One of the causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be nephrotoxic herbal products. We wanted to ascertain the rate of herbal product use among these CKD patients, the products used, sources of supply, demographic characteristics of the patients, whether acute renal failure develops with these products and the value of predialysis education in this field. Methods The data of 209 patients were collected at the nephrology department and evaluated using a form completed by a CKD education specialist nurse in one-to-one patient interviews. Results The patients’ mean age was 57.3 years, and 41% were female. 22% of the patients (n=45) used herbal products. Seven patients followed up with stable GFR had an acute kidney injury episode after using herbal products. The herbal product names used by the patients were as follows: unknown weed mix, black cumin oil, cherry stalk, rosemary, cinnamon, Helichrysum Arenarium, spring water, Galium aparine, reishi mushroom, Ceratonia siliqua, daisy, snail shell, Viburnum opulus, onion juice, Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, cranberry, malus trilobata leaf, avocado leaf, fig and olive leaf, horse chestnut, ginger, urtica leaf, eating walnut after soaking it in water, pumpkin seed, Vitex agnus-castus, aloe vera, blueberries, juniper molasses, Equisetum arvense L, Lamii albi herba1, yoghurt water. The patients who were followed for more than six months tended to report their herbal product use more than the remaining patients (p = 0.08). Conclusion Due to the widespread use of herbal products, clinicians should be more careful about the use of herbal products by patients. Key words: Chronic Kidney Disease, Herbal Medicine, Education, Communication

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