Awor Silvia, Opee Jimmyy, Ocaya Denis, Ocaya Jimmy, Abola Benard, Malinga Geoffrey Maxwell, Oryema Christine, Arwenyo Beatrice, Ongwech Acaye, Musoke David, Nnamuyomba Proscovia, Epila Jackie
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda.
J Multidiscip Healthc. 2025 Jul 28;18:4267-4277. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S534707. eCollection 2025.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that results in the deformation of red blood cells under low oxygen conditions, causing vaso-occlusive crises and severe complications. While hydroxyurea has been introduced as a treatment for SCD, herbal medicines remain widely used across Africa. Northern Uganda has a high SCD prevalence of 20.5%, yet limited research exists on alternative treatment options within local communities. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of herbal medicine practitioners in the Acholi sub-region.
We conducted in-depth interviews between October and December 2024 involving 24 herbal medicine practitioners in the Acholi sub-region, selected through referrals and non-probability snowball sampling. All data collected were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic content analysis, and emerging themes were presented.
All participants believed herbal medicine could cure SCD, and the majority reported successfully treating patients. However, some practitioners remembered some patients who reported being sick with sickle cell crises many years after the "cure". "When they report improvement, I stop medication after some time…" thereafter, "I encourage them to go to the hospital, but they do not. They can stay without falling sick for a long time and declare themselves healed". Findings suggest herbal medicines are commonly used for SCD management in the Acholi sub-region. Most herbal medicine practitioners rely on the hospital diagnoses, although a few can tell who has sickle cell disease by looking at or touching them. A lot of mistrust exists between herbal medicine practitioners, the government, and researchers. This hinders efforts to integrate traditional medicine into mainstream healthcare and limits opportunities for scientific validation.
Herbal medicine practitioners believe herbs can treat sickle cell disease; however, further research is needed to investigate the nature of these herbs and their mechanisms of action, thereby facilitating the integration of herbal medicine into conventional care. We discuss some implications of the study for practice and policy.
镰状细胞病（SCD）是一种遗传性血液疾病，在低氧条件下会导致红细胞变形，引发血管阻塞性危机和严重并发症。虽然羟基脲已被用作SCD的治疗方法，但草药在非洲仍被广泛使用。乌干达北部SCD患病率高达20.5%，然而关于当地社区替代治疗方案的研究却很有限。本研究旨在探讨阿乔利次区域草药从业者的观点。
我们于2024年10月至12月进行了深入访谈，涉及阿乔利次区域的24名草药从业者，通过推荐和非概率滚雪球抽样进行选择。收集到的所有数据都进行了记录、逐字转录，并采用主题内容分析法进行分析，然后呈现出浮现的主题。
所有参与者都认为草药可以治愈SCD，大多数人报告成功治疗过患者。然而，一些从业者记得有些患者在“治愈”多年后仍报告患有镰状细胞危机。“当他们报告病情好转时，过一段时间我就停止用药……”此后，“我鼓励他们去医院，但他们不去。他们可以长时间不生病，并宣称自己已痊愈”。研究结果表明，草药在阿乔利次区域常用于SCD的管理。大多数草药从业者依赖医院诊断，尽管少数人可以通过观察或触摸判断谁患有镰状细胞病。草药从业者、政府和研究人员之间存在很大的不信任。这阻碍了将传统医学纳入主流医疗保健的努力，并限制了科学验证的机会。
草药从业者认为草药可以治疗镰状细胞病；然而，需要进一步研究来调查这些草药的性质及其作用机制，从而促进草药与传统护理的整合。我们讨论了该研究对实践和政策的一些影响。
