Abstract

This study reportedly evaluated the safety and efficacy of herbal–drug combinations in chronic disease management within a low resource healthcare setting. A quantitative comparative design was reportedly used involving 240 patients diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or arthritis, divided equally between herbal–drug combination users and pharmaceutical only users. Clinical efficacy was reportedly assessed using systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and standardized pain scores, while safety was evaluated based on adverse event incidence. The findings reportedly showed that herbal–drug combinations produced significantly greater clinical improvements, including a 15.0% reduction in systolic blood pressure compared to 9.8% in the drug only group, a 22.8% reduction in blood glucose compared to 14.5%, and a 46.2% reduction in arthritis pain compared to 28.9%. However, adverse events were significantly higher among herbal–drug users, with overall incidence of 60.8% compared to 31.7% in pharmaceutical only users. These findings reportedly indicated that herbal–drug combinations provided enhanced therapeutic efficacy but also increased safety risks. The study reportedly concluded that while herbal–drug combinations could improve clinical outcomes, their use required proper clinical monitoring, patient education, and regulatory oversight to ensure safe and effective integration into chronic disease management.