The use of herbal medicine in diabetic foot complications : a case report from a Saudi Arabian bedouin

The flora of plant life within Saudi Arabia has one of the richest biodiversity systems in the Arabian Peninsula and encompasses a mass of important medicinal herbs, shrubs and plants. According to Al-Yahya1, the Arabian Peninsula is the birthplace of herbal drugs and the use of folk medicine still plays an important role within Saudi Arabian culture. Many patients in Saudi Arabia still seek out alternative forms of therapy such as the use of honey, black seeds, myrrh, fenugreek, kawajawa and other herbs, roots and shrubs, as this rich family tradition and culture is passed down from generation to generation. The use of such alternative forms of medicine, however, can often result in problems with compliance to the modern management of medical conditions such as diabetic foot ulceration, and can expose patients unwittingly to the hazards of traditional remedies and to the hazards of non-adherence to modern medical management.