Herbal medicines in the list of essential medicines of Brazilian capitals and the Federal District

Isabela da Silva Costa Carneiro, Pâmella Araújo da Costa, Bruna Alves dos Santos Barbosa, Brenda Leandro dos Santos, Ana Paula de Oliveira Barbosa, Paula Melo Martins, Rinaldo Eduardo Machado de Oliveira

Abstract

Introduction: Herbal medicines are health technologies intended for comprehensive care within the scope of the Sistema Único de Saúde. Therefore, investigations into the availability on medication lists are necessary to support public policies. Objective: To map herbal medicines in the Municipal List of Essential Medicines (Remume)/Relation of Essential Medicines (Reme) in Brazilian capitals and the Federal District (FD). Methods: This is a descriptive study. The data was obtained from the health departments between the months of August and October 2022. Results: From the lists of the 26 Brazilian capitals and the FD, it was found that 16 (59.2%) had herbal medicines. In the North Region, there were herbal medicines in 85.7% of the capitals, in the Central-West and Southeast Regions in 75.0%, in the Northeast Region in 44.4%, while in the South Region no herbal medicines were listed. The number varied from 1 in Campo Grande, Palmas, and Rio Branco to 10 in Belém and Natal. In the test comparing the averages of herbal medicines by region of the country, with the Northeast Region being the comparison, the following was obtained: p=0.64 with the North Region, p=0.07 with the Southeast Region and p=0.21 with the Midwest region. The most common herbal medicine was Mikania glomerata Spreng (guaco). Conclusion: Herbal medicines were listed in the Remume/Reme of most capitals, except for the South Region. The variety in the list can be justified by epidemiological characteristics and local policies. It is suggested that the pharmacy and therapeutic committees periodically review the lists and, if there are herbal medicines available to the population, this list is adequately described.