Determination of knowledge level of mothers residing in İstanbul Kadıköy on herbal tea

One of the most popular uses of medicinal plants is herbal tea. They are consumed mainly for the treatment and prevention of many diseases. Intercultural herbal tea consumption habits differ according to traditional beliefs and practices. This research was planned to determine the frequency of herbal tea consumption of mothers who reside in Kadıköy, their purpose of use and their level of knowledge about herbal tea. A total of 154 volunteer mothers residing in Kadıköy participated in the study. 144 mothers who stated that they consumed herbal tea were included in the analysis. A 17-multiple-choice question survey was prepared in order to determine the demographic characteristics of the participants, the periods and frequencies of herbal tea consumption, the sources of herbal tea supply, and their knowledge about herbal tea. In the analysis of statistical data, SPSS 23.0 program was used. The analysis reveals that 93.5% of the participants consumed herbal tea and 91% of the participants stated that they prefer to consume herbal tea in winter. 39.6% of the participants stated that they consume herbal tea several times a week. 38.9% of the participants stated that they consume herbal teas due to the positive effect on health. The percent of participants who observed the negative effects of herbal teas was only 8.3%. 47.9% of the participants stated that they buy herbal tea from herbalists and 45.1% from markets. It was determined that the most preferred packaging type was the labeled package with a rate of 49.7%. 80.6% of the participants stated that they had knowledge about herbal tea. The survey result shows that the major source to get information about herbal tea is the internet with 30.9% which is followed by the advice of physicians, dietitians and pharmacists with 26%, the advice of relative with 13%, television programs with 12.2%, social media with 6.5%, books with 4,1%, family advice with 1.6% and other sources with the percentage of 5.7%. The great majority (76.6%) of the participants find herbal teas are healthy since they are natural. No statistically significant correlation exists between this conviction of participants and their frequency of herbal tea consumption (p=,566, p=,566>0,05). Key Words: Herbal Tea, Mothers, Kadıköy, Knowledge Level